Inescapable You
by Ambivalence
Summary: A notsoinnocent prank leaves Kaiba Seto and Jounouchi Katsuya collared and leashed together for an undeterminable time. Now they must learn to work together without killing each other first. Shounenai, yaoi, SxJ.
1. Indian Summer

**NOTE TO READERS: In case you're confused, Chapters 1-5 are reposted because the fic was deleted by at the end of September(2004). The reason was I needed to up my rating from PG13 to R because of language (lots of cursing/profanity...). Author notes are the original ones before the deletion.**   
**** ****

**(A/N) ** Hi minna-san! So, I've decided to try my hand at Yu-gi-oh fanfiction. It's not my first fanfiction, but the first in this fandom. I've seen many of the epsiodes, so hopefully I haven't mucked up too badly on the characters ;, then again... it is AU, so there's bound to be some ooc. Just an idea that's been stuck in my head. Though I'm not sure how original it is, I've tried my best to make it interesting at least. As you'll notice, I use the Japanese names, as opposed to the american dubbed names, because I just prefer them. Anyway, it's quite a long chapter and just the beginning, but I hope you enjoy it. I would love your comments and/or constructive criticism. 

**Warnings**: future **_shounen-ai_** (**_boys kissing boys_**, you know...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU 

**Pairings**: Future Seto/Jou; maybe Honda/Otogi; haven't decided on any others yet. 

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas (honestly!). 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

**Inescapable You**

Chapter 1: Indian Summer (or Hook, Line and Sinker)   


"There, that's the last of it," Ishtar Malik grunted as he heaved a full garbage bag onto the curb for the garbage truck to pick up later. The exotic Egyptian gave the bag one last disgusted grimace before sauntering over to his white-haired companion sitting on the shaded grass nearby, leaning against the trunk of an old tree. 

Yami Bakura shifted a bit as the blonde approached, making enough room in the shade for both of them. The two were hot, tired and more than a bit frustrated by their wasted day. The tomb robber glared hatefully at the house in front of them, "That bitch had _no_ right to order us around like that! We've been working on that collection for _months_. Does she know how hard it is to find good road kill in the middle of a fucking city?!" 

"Yeah, well… That's my sister for you," Malik sighed wearily, wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead, "Always ready to ruin our fun. I don't know why she freaked out like that though, it's not like she ever used that freezer before anyway." 

"Whatever." 

They remained silent for a while after that, feeling worn out and bored. It had taken almost half the day to clean out the freezer in the basement to Isis' satisfaction, and now there didn't seem to be anything interesting to look forward to for the rest of the long afternoon. Finally though, unable to take the boredom any longer, Bakura growled and stood up, "Well?! What're we going to do now?" 

Malik smirked up at him, folding his arms behind his head, "Something evil?" 

The spirit was not amused. He glared, "Really. You think?" 

"We could go to your house and – " 

"No way," Bakura shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest as a sign of his irritation, "Last time we did something there, Ryou refused to acknowledge my presence for an entire week… _after_ he threw a screaming fit, of course. Think of something else." 

Summoning up his own aggravated glare, the blond Egyptian got to his feet to face the tomb robber eye to eye, "Why the hell do _I_ always have to decide? _You_ think of something." 

"No." 

"_Yes._" 

"Fuck you." 

"Hah! You _wish_." 

Noses almost touching, they each tried to stare the other down, stubbornly refusing to back off on their own. They bared their teeth, hands curling into treacherous fists as though they were getting to ready for an outright brawl in the middle of Isis' yard. Suddenly Malik grinned in a dangerously pleased manner, "I've got an idea." 

Without a hint of surprise, Bakura leaned in a little closer, "Really." 

"And a new toy." 

Appearing to be most fascinated by this newly imparted information, his eyes lighting up with an almost maniacal glee, Bakura finally let his own dark grin show, "And that would be…?" 

Malik laughed, shoving the tomb robber away from him before turning gracefully towards the house, "You'll just have to wait and see. But it's good, I promise you that." 

"And it will make another's life more miserable than it already is, I hope?" 

"Oh, most definitely. Two people's lives, actually. Especially if used on the right two." 

Unable to resist such a guarantee, the white-haired spirit eagerly followed the conniving teen into the house, hoping that whatever it was they were about to get into would be evil enough to keep him from getting bored any time soon. Or at least would give him a good laugh at someone else's expense. It was times like these that he was thankful to have such a like-minded, if a bit psychotic, partner in crime. 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

T-minus one minute and counting. 

Honey-brown eyes narrowed in concentration, focused entirely on the ticking second hand of the wall clock as though willing it to speed up. 

Thirty seconds… 

A pink tongue darted out, licking dried lips as the suspense became almost unbearable. It was almost time… almost… 

Three… 

Two… 

One… 

An irritating, and yet anticipated shrill buzzing filled the classroom. The sound of freedom! Jounouchi Katsuya jumped up from his seat with a loud, joyful whoop as he heard the dismissal bell, ignoring the disapproving look that the teacher shot at him. He shoved his books and papers into his school bag with no regard to order or neatness before bouncing over to the desk beside his own, "Yug', c'mon! Hurry it up! Let's get outta this hell hole." 

The tricolor-haired boy just laughed, shaking his head and, much to Katsuya's annoyance, continued to neatly stack his notes, carefully putting everything away into his own organized backpack. The blond impatiently jumped up and down on the balls of his feet, taking a look around for his best friend before spotting the brunette coming towards him from the other side of the classroom. Katsuya grinned happily as Hiroto joined them and Yugi finally stood up, ready to go. 

Unable to stand still any longer, the blond duelist grabbed his friends and dragged them out of the classroom, "Let's get moving, already! Sheesh, you two are slow." 

"Calm down, Jou-kun," Yugi giggled, trying to keep up with his taller friend's fast pace, "The weekend's not going anywhere. I have to stop at my locker to pick up some books. Ryou said he'd meet us there." 

Despite Katsuya's grievances about wasting more of the wonderful afternoon in the school, they managed to shove through the crowded hallway and find their smiling, white-hair friend standing exactly where he promised he'd be. The British teen's face lit up further as he spotted his friends, "Hi guys! How are you?" 

"I'd be better if some people would hurry up and let me get outside," Katsuya pouted as he tried not to get swept back into the crowd that was hurrying past them. 

Hiroto punched him lightly in the shoulder, grinning at the glare that was suddenly aimed his way, "Stop whining, you big baby. What's the rush anyway?" 

"I ain't no baby, you jerk," the blond growled, shoving his friend back, "I just don't like bein' in this stupid building any longer than I hafta be." 

"Hey, no fighting in the school, you two, or I'll sic Yami on you," Yugi warned the bickering teens as he rummaged through his locker, searching for the homework he needed that weekend. 

Katsuya scoffed as he ceased struggling from where the brunette had him in a loose headlock, "Like that big ol' softie could lay a finger on us." How did Hiroto always manage to get the better of him like this? It wasn't fair… stupid headlock move. "Ack! Stop it, Honda, you jerk!" the blond suddenly started fighting as his attacker gave him a fierce noogie before letting him go. 

Sulkily rubbing his head, Katsuya glared at his friend until Yugi spoke up again, shutting his locker door, "Yami says he'll show _you_ who's the softie as soon as we get outside." 

The two older teens nervously looked at each other before slowly backing away. Hiroto cleared his throat, "Uh… well, as much as I'd love that, me and Jou are going to go drop our stuff off at home and meet you at the park later, okay?" 

"Sure," Yugi agreed, his wide eyes shining mirthfully, "We'll see you in an hour then. C'mon Ryou, let's go find Anzu and Otogi and ask if they want to join us!" 

"Aw man, Dice-boy is gonna be there?" Katsuya complained as he and Hiroto stepped out into the bright, warm sun. Both of them breathed in the fresh air appreciatively, glad to be out of the stuffy, hot school. The two teens wasted no time in shedding their uniform coats and rolling up their sleeves as they strolled at a leisurely pace down the sidewalk. 

Hiroto shrugged, slinging his coat over his shoulder as he glanced at his friend, smiling a little, "He's not so bad now. You two have been getting along better, you can't deny that." 

"Yeah well, I don't hafta like it," was the grumbled response. They walked in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the bright day and looking forward to the weekend ahead of them. It wasn't until they were a block away from Hiroto's apartment building that Katsuya spoke in a slightly nervous tone, "You… ah… don't mind if I stay over tonight?" 

He hated imposing himself on others, knowing that he could be a pain to deal with sometimes. Hiroto didn't give it a second thought, however, "You know I don't mind. And you're staying for the rest of the weekend, as well." 

"Thanks, man," Katsuya sighed, relieved that he wouldn't have to go home and face either an empty, filthy apartment or his equally filthy father if he happened to come home sometime between bar hops. Weekends were the worse at his house, but only Hiroto knew just exactly how bad it was. Katsuya would never dream of worrying his other friends with that kind of thing. They would ask too many questions, unintentionally make him feel guilty, and try too hard to fix things they had no hope of even understanding. But Hiroto… he could trust him. They had been best buds ages before they'd even heard of little Motou. They watched out for each other and had come to trust one another beyond any shadow of doubt. But that didn't mean that Katsuya didn't always feel at least a little guilty for intruding upon the Honda family so often. 

He was pulled from his thoughts as they reached Hiroto's front door and let themselves in. The brunette led the way to his room, calling out to his parents but receiving no answer, "Mom probably went shopping or something," he commented, chucking his bag in a corner and flopping down on his bed. 

Katsuya's school bag joined his friend's unceremoniously and he sat down backwards on the desk chair, resting his arms on the back of it and placing his chin on them. He sighed quietly, glad for the week to be over, then caught Hiroto watching him, "What's up?" 

The spiky-haired boy frowned slightly, sitting up on the bed to face the other teen, "You… You're okay, right? I mean…" 

"Yeah," Katsuya smiled warmly to show the truth in his words, not surprised by his friend's concern but still glad for it, "I'm fine. I'd let ya know if I wasn't." 

"Good," with a relieved grin, Hiroto stood up and stretched, groaning slightly as he popped his joints. He went over to the closet, "I think you left some clothes here last time; we should change into something more comfortable before heading out." 

Katusya agreed, grabbing the dark green tank-top and jeans that were tossed to him. They quickly changed and went back down to the kitchen for a snack. Half an hour later they left the apartment and walked towards the park to meet the others. 

"What's happening at the park?" Katsuya asked, still munching on an apple that he'd brought with him. 

Hiroto shrugged, "I think we're just hanging out, nothing special. Unless the yami's are let loose, of course, then there'll either be dueling or a fight to keep us entertained." 

Laughing, Katsuya nodded and flung his apple core away. They chatted amiably until a few minutes later when they spotted the hard-to-miss black and red spikes of Yami no Yugi and the true Yugi, along with the rest of the group. The two boys broke into a run until they caught up with the others, breathless, and cheerfully greeted everybody. 

When everyone had settled down slightly, Yami came forward with a dangerous gleam in his ruby-red eyes, "So, Jounouchi, am I correct in recalling something said about me growing soft in my old age?" 

Katsuya 'eeped' and quickly turned tail to flee. The spirit was close behind him, laughing as he chased the blond across the grass. "Aaah… Yaami! I didn't mean it!" the teen screeched as he felt the other closing in, desperate not to get caught even though he knew the spirit would never hurt him. He kept yelling, much to the others' amusement, dodging determinedly around a few trees before looking over his shoulder to see how far ahead of the other he was. He noticed, crankily, that none of the others were even trying to help him against the crazy dead Pharaoh about to kill him. 

Yami's grin widened as he started catching up to the blond, but then his eyes suddenly widened in surprise as he caught a glimpse of something ahead. Katsuya didn't have time to look forward again before his feet caught on something and he went flying to the ground, hard enough to wind him. There was a loud curse, which came from neither the fallen teen nor the astonished spirit. 

"What the hell do you think you are doing, you stupid dog," Katsuya groaned, unable to do anything but clutch his side and stomach as he gasped for air that refused to fill his lungs. It didn't take a genius to figure out who he was unlucky enough to trip over. What a way to ruin a perfectly good afternoon. "Get off of my legs, now." 

He wanted to get off of his rival's legs, he really did, but at the moment, breathing was a slightly higher priority. Yami chose that moment to reach them, looking concerned at the cursing, breathless blond still lying across those cursed legs. Eyes narrowed, Yami growled threateningly, "Kaiba, what are you doing here?" 

The multi-millionaire CEO of Kaiba Corp. raised icy eyes to glare straight back at his rival duelist, "I wasn't aware you owned this park. Now get this useless mutt off of me before he does more damage to my laptop." 

'Figures he'd bring that stupid thing to the park,' Katsuya thought angrily as he finally found his breath and managed to roll off of Seto's legs, '…and think more about it's safety than mine.' He laid on his back, closing his eyes as he breathed deeply. His chest hurt from the lack of oxygen and he was sure he was going to get a bruise on his side from hitting the ground so hard. Stupid Kaiba always had to ruin his fun. 

The ex-Pharaoh kept glaring at the CEO, hands on his hips as though daring Seto to try insulting him again. Katsuya groaned, feeling the tension in the air, and finally sat up, "I hate ya, Moneybags." 

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you, Chihuahua," Seto glared back, ignoring Yami to irritate him further. 

The blond growled at the insult, clenching his fists, "Shut _up_, you jerk!" 

By this time Yugi, Hiroto, Ryou, Yami Bakura and the others had caught up to them, along with Malik, much to Katsuya's surprise. He hadn't seen the psychotic teen with the rest of the group earlier. Yugi, slightly winded from his hurry to reach them, noticed Seto right away, "Kaiba! What are you doing here?" 

"Oh for…" Seto scowled, standing up to get away from the looming group, "Can I not come to the park for some peace and quiet without you people hassling me? You are like pests, I swear, everywhere I go…" He turned from them, ready to storm away with a dramatic billowing of his trench coat, when he felt someone grab his arm. 

"I'm not finished wit'ya, you bastard," Katsuya growled, curling his other hand into a fist as the CEO whirled around to face him with a cold look. He hated it when Seto thought he could just ignore him like that, as though he were some insignificant bug. 

Katsuya couldn't help but shiver at Seto's dangerously freezing glare. Nobody dared to interrupt their staring contest, but were ready to defend their friend if the need arose. Hot brown eyes clashed hatefully with cold blue. Seto smirked, "What's the matter, make inu? Scared? I always knew you were just a frightened little puppy dog who – " 

"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up, Kaiba!" Katsuya yelled, about to attack the insulting bastard when he felt someone grab his wrist and shake his concentration. Face reddened in anger and frustration, he cursed and tried to tug away from Malik before realizing that the dangerous Egyptian had a hold on both his and Seto's arms. Confused, he turned to face Malik. "Wha…?" 

Malik grinned, trying to look friendly but only succeeding in making everybody even more nervous of his intentions, "Now, now, you two. You shouldn't be fighting on such a wonderful day. You're frightening the children." 

"What are you doing, Malik," Yami asked suspiciously, stepping forward to prevent the holder of the Millennium Rod from doing anyone any harm. 

Undaunted, Malik's grin only widened as he languidly slipped his arms around their necks, forcing them close to him and one another. Seto snarled, trying to tear away from the surprisingly strong hold, "Let go of me, now, you psychotic freak." 

From the other side of them, they heard Bakura laugh, causing Katsuya to shiver again at the frighteningly dark sound, knowing that every time that crazy laugh sounded, something bad was sure to follow, "Aw, is the great Seto Kaiba scared? How pitiful…" 

"That's enough, you two," Yami warned them, reaching up to touch his Millennium Puzzle as though to remind them of the danger of his wrath, "Let them go." 

Malik laughed lightly, winking at Yugi's yami before releasing slipping his arms from around their shoulders, sensually running his fingers across the back of their necks, much to their disgust, and holding up his hands unthreateningly, "Don't worry your precious head, Pharaoh. No harm done." 

Katsuya frowned suspiciously, looking at his wrist where the other had first been holding him, then rubbing his neck. Something felt wrong, but he could quite figure out why. He looked up at Seto, wondering if the other felt it too, but only met with another fierce glare, "Enjoy your playtime, mutt." 

Under everyone's watchful glares, Seto smirked and turned quickly away, eager to be rid of the annoying idiots. His escape was once again thwarted, however, has he felt a harsh tug on his neck and choked slightly as he felt something crash into his back with a startled yelp. "What the…?" 

"Ow…" Katsuya groaned into the trench coat covered back, his coughing roughly, his neck feeling sore and bruised from the sudden force, "What was that for, you big jerk?" 

Seto looked over his shoulder, confused and annoyed, "I didn't do anything, mutt. Now do you mind?" 

"Yeah… like I meant to do that," the irritated blond grumbled, trying to back away, but finding the strange tug from around his neck was back. He lifted a hand to his throat in frustration and noticed Seto doing the same to his own. Slowly they met each other's eyes with similar frowns. 

"What did you do, make inu?" Seto asked, backing away experimentally and watching as Katsuya unwillingly followed him. 

"I… uh… dunno," was the only intelligent reply Katsuya was able to come up with. 

Suddenly there was a burst of laughter and they swung around, awkwardly because of their apparent attachment, to watch as Bakura and Malik clung to each other in uncontained hilarity. There was no doubt on either of their minds that those two were responsible for this mess. 

Apparently the others had come to the same conclusion. Ryou crossed his arms, watching his yami with a mix of bewilderment and anger, "Bakura! What did you do? Explain, right now!" 

It took a few moments for the tomb robber to calm down enough to answer, still wiping away tears of mirth, "Ah, the expressions on their faces when… Priceless. It was all Malik's idea, really, 'though I take certain pride in helping out." 

"Malik…" Yami frowned, tearing his gaze from Katsuya and Seto as they continued to try to separate themselves, "Undo whatever it is you just did. Wait… are those _collars_?!" 

"Really? Where, Yami? I don't see any!" Yugi stared harder at his friends' necks, as though willing a pair of collars to appear between them. 

Malik just laughed again, taking great joy in their puzzlement. Bakura, seeing his friend was unable to get anything coherent out, grinned and explained, "I doubt any mortal could see them. They're quite ingenious, actually. Especially the leash that binds them together." 

"I don't give a rat's ass how ingenious they are, just get them _off_!" Katsuya yelled at the white-haired yami, tugging away harder only to have Seto growl at him in discomfort as he was pulled closer to the panicking blond. 

"Stop that, you stupid mutt," the brunette huffed, crossing his arms in annoyance. He glared icily at the amused duo standing close by, "If you don't fix this, this second, you will regret it. I will not be attached to this fleabag any longer, do you understand?" 

Bakura shrugged, chuckling as he shook his head, "I don't think so, Kaiba. You, of all people, do not scare me. And besides, I don't think I would remove them, even if we could." 

Both victims paled slightly as they digested this information. Katsuya whined slightly, "No, no, no! Get it off! _Now_! Get _away_ from me, Kaiba." He scratched useless at his neck, not feeling anything with his fingers even though he _knew_ it was there. 

Hiroto came over to them, resting an arm comfortingly on his friend's shoulder and glared at the CEO as Seto snorted, "Really, pup, are you _that_ dense? Does it look like I can walk away from you? Believe me, I would if I could." 

"You're not helping, Kaiba," Hiroto warned as he noticed just how close to truly panicking his friend was, "It's alright, Jou, we'll fix this." He gently pulled Katsuya's hands away from his neck before any more damage could be done. 

"Doubtful," Malik commented helpfully, having regained his composure. Despite the glares he received, he continued, "There's no key. No way of opening them. And that leash is unbreakable, as far as I know. Especially since they can't even see it, much less touch it." 

"So they're stuck like this forever?!" Anzu screeched, looking horrified at the thought of what the two would do to each other after being forced to be together for any amount of time. "Can't you do something about this, Yami?" 

Yami, seeming a little lost for once, shook his head, "I've never heard of such a thing." 

"Well, I'll cut off his head if I have to," Seto threatened, glaring balefully down at the mutt who was standing much to close to him for his own comfort. 

Katsuya's eyes widened, almost sure that it hadn't been a joke, "Hey! Wait a minute, here…" 

With a delighted giggle, Malik watched their distress with great fascination, "Well, unfortunately, I don't think it's an eternal sort of thing. The toy has a time limit or something. I'm not exactly sure how it works though." 

"You… you…" Katsuya gaped, horrified at the thought of such an untested 'toy' being used on him. 

"I think what the puppy is trying to say is," Seto broke in smoothly, ignoring Hiroto's attempts at calming the mutt down, "what the _hell_ were you _thinking_? Do you have any idea how inconvenient it is going to be to have a dog hanging off of me all day?" 

"Fuck you, Moneybags. You're not the only one being _inconvenienced_ by this," Katsuya muttered, scowling at him, greatly irked at the feeling of being forced so close to his rival. 

Bakura tilted his head in amusement at this, "You don't say? I think you just answered your own question, Kaiba." 

"And just what did you hope to gain by this?" Hiroto asked, trying to understand the point of leashing the rivals together. Then he realized what a stupid question _that_ was. 

"Gain?" Malik laughed, "Why it was purely for our amusement, I assure you. No plot to steal any more items or to take over the world. Simply put, we were bored." 

It was at this point that they suddenly realized Malik and Bakura had been discreetly backing away from the group. As Yami stepped towards them, ready to give them a good scolding and maybe a punishing trip to the Shadow Realm to think about what they had done, they suddenly turned and ran towards the street, laughing the entire way. 

Ryou sighed, fingering his Millennium Ring as he shook his head sadly, "I knew I should have been keeping a closer eye on Bakura." 

"It's not your fault," Yugi assured him, glaring at the retreating figures, "They just can't seem to stay out of trouble for more than a day." 

Meanwhile, Katsuya had once again resorted to fiercely wrenching his rapidly bruising neck away from his rival's, despite the being choked enough that his face was turning blue, determined to break the invisible leash. Seto snorted in disgust, bringing a hand up as though to pull the collar from around his neck, and narrowing his eyes at the pathetic attempts to free them, "Would you just stop that, inu? You are going to choke me to death if you keep it up." 

"You're the one going to cut off my head!" Katsuya retorted angrily, frantically digging his feet into the ground and pulling despite the vicious pain it brought. He was _not_ going to be tied to that cold-hearted bastard for _any_ amount of time, no way in hell! 

With a grimace, Seto grabbed the blonde's arm and sharply pulled him close, relieving the pressure on his neck. Caught by surprise, Katsuya fell against the other's chest, gasping for air after his anxious attempts at escaping the inevitable. Then, quickly coming to his senses, he pushed away, blushing slightly as he glared down at the ground. He stopped pulling though, remaining close to the other victim of the stupid prank. 

He felt Hiroto's hand rest on his back, "Jou?" 

"M'fine," he mumbled, refusing to look up for even a moment, horribly embarrassed and angered by the situation. 

Yugi and Ryou were examining the their locked necks and the empty space between with great interest as Yami stared thoughtfully at what the others could not see. Ryuuji and Anzu could do nothing but make comforting remarks, which did nothing to help Katsuya feel better about anything. He wanted to _kill_ Malik and Bakura for doing this to him. 

"Wow, Kaiba, looks like you finally leashed the mutt, huh?" The dice master grinned, despite the scathing looks he received. 

Seto sneered, "The only problem being that I'm in a similar way leashed to _him_, idiot." 

Ryuuji shrugged with a grin, "Yeah well, at least you can't make him sleep out in the dog house this way." Katsuya cheered up considerably at this news. 

Yami sighed regretfully at their questioning gazes, "I think they were telling the truth, for once in their miserable lives. There does not seem to be any sort of unlocking device on them. I could try a bit of shadow magic on them, but I'm not sure what the result would be." 

"You are _not_ doing any sort of magic on my neck without knowing the consequences first," Seto snarled, closing his hand into a fist and jerking away. Katsuya yelped again as he was painfully jerked towards the brunette. 

"Ow! Don't _do_ that!" 

Seto ignored the blond's spluttering, choked curses to glare at the group as he reached down to pick up his briefcase, "Despite the… situation, I do have to get home. Figure out how to fix this, Yami, without blowing up my head in the process." 

Katsuya froze completely as his brain processed what Kaiba had just said. It was finally occurring to him that being attached to Kaiba would mean being forced to follow the demanding jerk wherever he went. "W-wait a minute. I… I have to go home with _you_?" 

Seto regarded the stray attached to him with a sneer, "Honestly, mutt, what did you expect? That I follow _you_ to your dumpy little shack?" 

"Watch it, Kaiba," Hiroto warned, stepping nearer menacingly as Katsuya paled with the thought of bringing the millionaire to his own home. No… Seto was right, that just wouldn't do. 

"But… but whatta 'bout school and… and…" 

The CEO sighed and muttered something under his breath before glaring, "We'll figure that out later. Right now, I am going home. Obviously I am not going to get any more work done _here_." 

"Oh…" Katsuya still sounded as though it hadn't all sunk in yet. He threw a pleading glance towards his best friend, willing him to come up with the solution to this problem. 

Hiroto shrugged helplessly, "I… I don't know, Jou. Don't worry though, we'll figure out something. I'll bring you your stuff from my house tonight. If this bastard hurts you in any way though, you tell me, got it?" 

Seto snorted impatiently at this, but Katsuya sighed and nodded, "Fine. Nothin' I can do, I guess. See you tonight, if I'm still alive by then." 

"Kaiba, we'll be checking up on you two. If anything happens to Jounouchi…" 

"Give it a rest already, Yami," Seto snapped, turning away carefully so as not to choke himself again, "Heel, mutt." 

Determined not let the insufferable CEO start ordering him around just because he had the advantage in strength and power, Katsuya dug in his heels and glared, "Say that again, Moneybags, and we'll just _see_ who loses their head tonight." 

There was a moment of seething, tense silence between the two strong-willed rivals. They fought the urge to punch the other's lights out, knowing that if one went down the other would inevitably follow right behind. Finally, Seto sneered, "Fine. Are you coming or not, then? Shall we just stand out here all night?" 

Taking a few minutes to say a mournful goodbye to his friends and accept their condolences for having to follow the 'rich pig' home, Katsuya eventually allowed Seto to lead him to the limousine waiting for them on the street. He could _not_ believe this was happening. What a way to begin the weekend. And it had started out so nice, too. 

He let out an aggrieved sigh, noticing how the other teen was completely ignoring him, as though he were just some temporary, annoying stray following him home. This was going to be a long night. "I hate you, Kaiba," he muttered as they awkwardly managed to get into the back seat of the limo without brusing their windpipes further. 

"You said that already, mutt." 

"Yeah well, I mean it," he sulked, crossing his arms over his chest and miserably slouching down. He glared angrily at the seat across from him, hating how Seto was sitting only inches from him in order to put as little strain as possible on their necks. Their shoulders brushed and he flinched away, muttering curses under his breath as Seto continued to ignore him. 

On the bright side of it all, he _was_ riding in a limousine and would get to stay in the Kaiba mansion, something very few people could boast of. Free food, great entertainment system, Mokuba to keep Seto in line… maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he thought. Maybe. Then he remembered that he would be forced to sleep there. With Kaiba Seto. Obviously in the same bed. Damn it. 

Katsuya groaned, letting his head fall back against the headrest in dismay. He ignored Seto's inquiring glare and raised eyebrow, opting instead to close his eyes and try to completely forget who he was _leashed_ to for what could very well be the rest of his life. Suddenly the day seemed a lot colder. 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

To Be Continued...? 

_Indian Summer: A period of unusually warm weather in the fall, often following a seasonable cold spell._

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em! 


	2. A Fine Kettle of Fish

**(A/N) **Wow! I'm so happy that people enjoyed the first chapter of this fic. And hopefully you won't be disappointed with its continuation! I can see this fic turning out to be quite lengthy, especially since I agree that Jou and Kaiba would never get into a relationship without being all stubborn about it first ;. There'll be surprises, confused minds, and knowing me, angst as well, along the way to coming to terms with their feelings. I'm happy to see that even people who aren't keen on Shounen-ai/Yaoi fics are enjoying this one so far. There will be shounen-ai later, though, because this is definitely headed towards Seto/Jou but it might take a while to get their feelings sorted out. Anyway, on with the fic! 

**Warnings**: future **_shounen-ai (boys kissing boys_**, you know...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU 

**Pairings:** Future Seto/Jou; maybe Honda/Otogi; haven't decided on any others yet. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas (honestly!). 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

**Inescapable You**

Chapter 2: A Fine Kettle of Fish   


The front entrance of the Kaiba Mansion was huge! Katsuya gaped in astonishment as he stood there in shock over the beautifully decorated interior. Just this one room alone was probably as big as his entire apartment; it was a little intimidating. A sharp tug caused him to wince and bring a hand to his tender neck. The normally fair skin must be quite the sight by now. He tended to bruise easily, which was unfortunate considering the scrapes he always managed to get himself into, so he wouldn't be surprised to find a solid mass of ugly colors around his neck the next time he found a mirror. 

"Stop gawking, mutt. You're acting as though they never let you out of your kennel." 

Barely restraining himself from pounding some respect into the rich pig's head, Katsuya only gestured rudely and slipped off his shoes. Wouldn't want to track mud into the bastard's pretty house now, would we? He let out a sudden, strangled yelp as Seto purposefully took a step towards the hallway, "Would you just calm down, you fucking jerk? I'd like to still be able to breath by the end of the day, you know!" 

With a sneer, Seto turned to face the blond, "Look, make inu, I don't give a crap about your pathetic grievances. You are under _my_ roof now and therefore under my rules. So shut your mouth and follow me. One more whimper from you and I _will_ do something to make you regret it." 

Katsuya snorted softly at this but obediently, if unenthusiastically, followed the demanding brunette without another word. Not that he would admit it, but Seto could be terribly frightening at times when he put his mind to it. What could the CEO do to him anyway? Katsuya grinned as he imagined the great Kaiba Seto being forced to drag the 'mutt's' unconscious body around. 

The CEO led them up a long flight of stairs and down another hallway before stopping at one of the polished doors lining the walls. Katsuya let out a low whistle as they entered, impressed by the size and neatness of the bedroom. To his delight, there was the softest, biggest four-poster bed by the window that he had ever seen, "Wow… I bet you could entertain a lot of clients on that thing, eh Kaiba?" 

Sending a disgusted look in the blond's direction, Seto paced quickly to the closet, forcing Katsuya to bite back another pained curse and keep up. What the hell was that guy's neck made of? Steel? Katsuya could only detect a reddening line around Seto's neck, nothing like the bruises he was sure to have on his own. Bastard. 

Seto set down his briefcase and shed his coat to hang up in the closet. He then turned and headed back out as though eager to get his blond rival out of his private space as quickly as possible. Katsuya could do nothing but helplessly follow, worried that the stressed out millionaire might actually follow through on his threat. Not that he wouldn't fight back of course, but he knew from previous experience just how hard the other teen's punches really were and was not keen on feeling them again any time soon. He just hoped that Hiroto would arrive soon to provide back up incase Seto went completely berserk. 

A few moments later they reached a room that was obviously the kitchen, which was even more exciting than the bedroom. No matter what, Katsuya could always depend on food to cheer him up when the world decided to turn against him. Eagerly he followed Seto around, peeking into the cupboards and the 'fridge that the brunette opened in his search for something to eat. Not that it was hard to find food, of course; the place was practically overflowing with the highest quality grub that anyone could buy. Mokuba was sure one lucky kid by the looks of _those_ snacks. Ignoring the constant, bothersome tugging at his neck, Katsuya looked around and asked, "Hey, I thought rich people were supposed t'ave cooks to make their meals for 'em, or something." 

"You don't know the meaning of silence, do you, fleabag?" Seto muttered in exasperation as he leaned in to take a better look at the contents of the refrigerator, "And for your information, I do have a cook. She gets weekends off." 

"Oh," Katsuya shrugged disinterestedly. He made a face at the CEO's back, hating how he was forced stand so close to it. Out of boredom, Katsuya leaned away until he felt the now familiar feeling of the invisible collar gently tugging at the back of his neck. He eyed the space between them critically, trying to judge exactly how far his freedom from the insulting brunette went. They were definitely still much too close to one another, probably around sixty centimeters apart. Not more than two feet, though. He swiped his hand through the empty space, trying to feel the leash that was supposedly binding them but was unable to find anything but air. Very mind-boggling. 

Seto shot an annoyed glance over his shoulder, "Would you stop fidgeting? It's highly distracting." 

"Sorry, your _highness_," Katsuya grumbled sarcastically, moving a bit closer again so that they wouldn't feel the pressure of the collars quite so much, "What's for dinner?" 

Moving away from the 'fridge with a large container in hand, Seto took a moment to smirk superiorly as he grabbed an apple from the nearby fruit basket, "Here you go, pup. Enjoy." 

Somehow not surprised, Katsuya withheld a sigh and glumly took the shiny red fruit. He really was starting to get sick of apples. Of course the dumb jerk wouldn't feed him anything else, what had he expected? Oh well, it wasn't as though he'd never gone without dinner before. Maybe breakfast would be bigger, or maybe Hiroto would think to bring him something. He forced a charming grin, just because he knew it would irritate the brunette, and shrugged, "Well, if it's all you got…" 

Obviously not expecting the lack of resistance, Seto raised an eyebrow but refrained from commenting. Instead he turned to another cupboard and took out a single plate and some cutlery, then beckoned Katsuya to follow him. They sat down side by side at the dining room table, having first moved a couple of chairs close together so that it would be possible to eat without choking to death. Katsuya watched enviously as Seto opened his container and spooned onto the plate a large helping of rice, vegetables and what looked to be roasted chicken. With a soft sigh, he looked away and took a large, rebellious bite out of his own pathetic dinner. At least this apple looked healthier than the ones he had at home. Not a bruise in sight. Of course, he doubted that anything the Kaiba's owned would dare to be anything less than perfect. 

About to take another half-hearted mouthful of the fruit, he froze in shock as the plate of food was unceremoniously shoved under his nose. Staring at it in disbelief, Katsuya blinked a few times, trying to make sure that it wasn't about to disappear on him. Then, slowly, he looked up at Seto. The CEO was completely ignoring him again, eating the rest of the leftovers straight out of the container as he read the newspaper he had picked up off of the table. Not one to question good luck when it happened, or Seto's strange moods, Katsuya wordlessly turned back to his meal and eagerly began to devour it. 

They sat in silence, except for the sounds of clinking cutlery, refusing to acknowledge the fact that they were eating side-by-side at the same table. Katsuya finished his meal quickly, just in case the unpredictable Kaiba decided to change his mind about letting him have it. He leaned back in his chair, satisfied with the tasty dinner even if it was only leftovers. Seto, however, seemed to be in no rush to leave and the blond was forced to sit in his spot. He yawned loudly, bored out of his mind and making sure Seto knew it. He normally didn't even eat at the table, much less stay there longer than he had to. He wondered what the rest of his friends were doing right now, imagining them all to be having a much better time than he was. This was so stupid. And humiliating, and annoying, and… 

The sound of chiming bells interrupted his internal rant and he leapt up from the table, joyfully announcing, "Honda's here!" 

Seto let out a strangled yell at the same time that Katsuya's temporarily forgotten restraint tightened viciously around his own neck. Starbursts filled his vision as both teens were dragged to the floor with a loud thump, clutching their windpipes in agony. Katsuya gagged at the pain, his eyes watering, feeling faint as the blood pounded in his ears. They lay on the floor, heads side-by-side as they panted desperately for air. Rapidly blinking away stinging tears and hoping he wouldn't pass out, Katsuya decided that trying to run from Seto was slightly more painful than being forced to stay by his side. 

The doorbell sounded again, breaking the shocked, silent spell that had fallen over the two half-throttled boys. Seto somehow found his voice first and he rasped angrily, "You stupid… fucking… brainless mutt! Don't you ever think before acting?!" 

Katsuya winced and tried to touch his neck to assess the damage but found it much too tender to bother. He turned his head, meeting cold blue eyes and winced again, "Fuck, that hurt. How 'bout we stick together from now on, ne?" 

Turning his glare up a notch, Seto growled, "I honestly don't want to know how you get through each day alive if this is how you learn your lessons." Slowly they managed to stand up, shaking slightly from the shock of the fall. Katsuya, knowing that this time it had been entirely his fault, kept quiet as he followed the other back to the front door. Seto flung the door open, glaring menacingly at the person on the other side, "Who the hell gave _you_ permission to step onto my property?" Obviously the accident had not improved _his_ temper much. 

"Shove it," Hiroto's annoyed voice answered, much to Katsuya's relief. His best friend slipped past the highly displeased millionaire and finally caught sight of him, "Bloody hell, Jou! What did he _do_ to you?!" 

Katsuya smiled cheerfully as his friend gaped in shock at his neck, "Ah… This? Heh, it's nothin'." 

"Nothing? Have you looked in the mirror at what you're calling 'nothing'?" Hiroto frowned, stepping closer to examine the bruised skin, "Christ, that must hurt." 

Katsuya flinched as the brunette gently fingered a raw spot, "I… It's fine, really. I've lived through worse. Did ya bring my stuff?" 

Hiroto backed off a bit with a disapproving shake of the head, purposefully ignoring the CEO standing next to them, "Yeah, I got your school bag and uniform that you left at my place. Is there anything you needed from your apartment?" 

The blond cringed, realizing that he didn't have any extra clothes with him but desperately did not want to send Hiroto alone to his house to retrieve them. He hated anybody seeing the place where he lived and even Hiroto had only been allowed there a couple of times in the past. Hesitantly, he glanced at Seto, knowing he couldn't say much with him around even if the CEO seemed to be pretending that they didn't exist. Katsuya chewed nervously on his lower lip, "Erm… well, I… I don't think…" 

"Is this sappy little friendship moment going to take much longer?" Seto finally snapped, still glaring at the wall, "I do have work to attend to. I'm sure the mutt can make do with what he has." 

With a sigh, Katsuya realized that Hiroto looked ready to pummel the CEO into the ground, which would not help the situation at all, "I'm fine, Honda. Thanks, though." 

"You sure you don't want me to stay and – " 

"You are _not_ staying – " 

"Did I ask _you_?" 

Watching his friend and rival face each other with murderously stubborn looks in their eyes, Katsuya shook his head, feeling the beginnings of a headache, "I said I'll be _fine_, Honda, don't worry about it. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" As much as he hated to be left alone with the cold-hearted bastard, he wanted to be caught up in a fight even less at the moment. Besides, he could deal with Seto, he'd had lots of practice at it in the past after all. 

Hiroto turned his attention back to his friend, his expression changing to one of concern again, "Alright, if you're sure. If you need anything at all, even just to talk, call me, got it? I don't care what time it is. I'll have my cell on me all day tomorrow too, so there's no excuse not to hear from you." 

Unable to resist smiling at this, Katsuya happily nodded. It was nice to have someone really care about his wellbeing once in a while. It brightened his mood a great deal, "Thanks man, I will." 

"And take care of that damn bruise," the unispike-haired teen added with an uneasy frown, "It looks like someone tried to hang you or something." 

Katsuya laughed in agreement and regretfully saw Hiroto off. He'd much rather be sleeping in Hiroto's comfortable, familiar home this weekend than Seto's coldly quiet mansion, even if it was a once in a lifetime chance. He sighed, feeling slightly depressed at the thought of all the fun he would be missing out on tonight, and shut the door before getting ready to follow the CEO around again. Seto remained still, however, watching the shorter teen with a pensive frown. 

"What?" 

Without answering, Seto turned on his heal and headed back towards the staircase. Katsuya, having learned by now not to expect any warning, quickly kept up with only a few righteous protests. They hurried up the stairs but instead of heading into the bedroom as the blond had expected they entered a bathroom. The tiled room wasn't as remarkable as it could have been, but it was spotlessly clean and was much nicer than the one back in the Jounouchi apartment. He desperately hoped he wouldn't have to use the toilet anytime soon; it would be impossibly embarrassing with Seto looming over him, even if he did turn his back. He didn't even want to _think_ about how they were going to shower. 

Feeling exhausted, he watched as the taller duelist rummaged through the mirrored cabinet above the sink. It was only around seven o'clock, but the excitement of the surreally awful day was finally taking its toll on him. He probably wouldn't get to sleep any time soon, though. The hard-working business leader seemed to be the sort who was used to staying up 'til the early hours of the morning finishing projects and whatever else it was that CEO's did. 

His eyes, which had slowly been drooping shut, snapped open again as something was held up in front of them. He blinked at the small container, bemused as Seto scowled impatiently, "Are you going to take it or not? I'm not doing it for you, if that's what you are expecting." 

"Huh?" Even more confused, Katsuya took the offered container and peered closely at it. It appeared to be some sort of medicinal cream, "What's this for?" 

"Stupid mutt," Seto muttered as he slammed the cabinet door shut and shoved the baffled blond back towards the hallway, "It's for your neck, of course. Which looks hideous, by the way." 

Taken aback by the sarcastic CEO's gift, even if it was partnered with an insult, Katsuya allowed himself to be led into another room without complaint. It was an office, that much was obvious. Large, tidy bookshelves lined the walls and a large mahogany desk was situated on one side of the room, piled high with papers, pens and other office-type accessories. There was a comfy looking sofa in front of an empty fireplace on the other side, although Katsuya had the feeling that that was not where they were headed. Seto stalked over to the desk, dragging the poor blond behind him, and sat down in front of a computer that was resting on the wooden surface. The machine was quickly booted up and put to use as Seto's long, slender fingers danced gracefully over the keyboard with practiced ease. 

Katsuya let out an irritated sigh at once again being ignored and left to his own devices with no where to go. But he was too tired to deal with another argument at the moment. With his headache rapidly bordering on a migraine, he settled for sitting on the floor and leaning back against the side of Seto's chair. Listening to the rhythmic clicking of keys from overhead, Katsuya unscrewed the lid of the jar he still held in his hands. He scooped up some of the white cream with his fingers and rubbed it gently onto his sore skin. It felt cold, almost numbing, but did a lot to relieve him of the aggravating pain. 

"It's strange how I can touch the bruise like this. Shouldn't the collar get in the way or somethin'?" He didn't receive any acknowledgment of being heard but hadn't really been expecting to. Oh well, it was probably just part of the magic of the unusual leash and collar set. 

Setting down the jar of cream, Katsuya settled into a slightly more comfortable position, knowing there was nothing else to do but nap for a while. Maybe when he woke up, he'd find that this had all just been some horrible nightmare or something. And if it wasn't… well, he'd just have to figure out how to use this unexpected situation to his own advantage. It was a good bet that there were a million and one things he could do to annoy the hell out of Kaiba Seto this way, and the cold millionaire would not be able to do a single thing about it. With that encouraging thought, Katsuya thankfully closed his eyes. 

"'Hope ya know m'not gonna put up wit' dis ev'ry night, ya abusive bastard," the tired blond slurred a moment later, on the edge of unconsciousness, not pleased at all with being forced to sleep sitting up on the floor. Then a second later he was out like a light. 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

Kaiba Seto, Chief Executive Officer of Kaiba Corp., was far from happy at the moment. To put it simply, he was pissed. How he – a _Kaiba_ – could get himself into such an infuriatingly degrading mess with the _mutt_, of all people… If only he had gone with his earlier instincts and stayed put in his office for the day. But no, he had decided that going outside to work in the fresh air for a few hours would do him some good. And this was the fucked up result. 

Fuming, he glared at his computer screen, trying furiously to ignore the slight pull at his neck. He jotted down some figures onto the pad of paper beside him, putting more force on the pen than was necessary, and then continued typing without really paying attention to what he was looking at. Somebody was going to pay for this humiliation, no doubt about that. Nobody messed with a Kaiba this way and got away with it, even if they _did_ have possession of that so-called Shadow Magic crap. 

Absently wondering if it was legally possible to sue a 3,000-year-old spirit, Seto cursed silently as he suddenly realized what he was staring at on the computer screen. He glared at the spreadsheet, knowing he would have to go in to work earlier than usual tomorrow to fix some moron employee's mistake. And said moron was going to be fired the second he showed up. Of course, firing someone always did seem to help Seto cheer up slightly, so maybe it wasn't as bad as it seemed. 

Something gently bumped his right arm, causing him to mistype a letter and bring his mind back to the present. With a severe frown and a scathing insult on the tip of his tongue, he glared down at the shaggy, blond mop of hair resting against him. Then he realized that the other teen had fallen asleep. How he could do such a thing while sitting up on the hard floor was beyond Seto, but he supposed that the mutt must get a lot of practice at it in class at school. At least this way Katsuya wasn't inanely babbling on and on like he did when he was awake. Dumb mutt. 

Seto finally gave up scowling at the unaware boy and turned back to his work; reluctantly letting the other's head remain where it was. What was that old saying? Let sleeping dogs lie… Seto chuckled quietly at the thought as he scanned a few more graphs and spreadsheets of sales. Then he froze as another thought hit him. Damn… he was going to have to drag Katsuya along with him to work tomorrow. 

To be seen with that… that hyper-active, good for nothing fleabag trailing him all day was going to be the cause of so many implausible rumors… But there was nothing that could be done about it; he had to go in tomorrow. Maybe if they pretended that Katsuya was his newly appointed personal secretary… but no, that wouldn't work. It wasn't as though he could just send the brat to fetch him a cup of coffee. It had to be something that would keep people from becoming suspicious over their sudden refusal to be more than two feet from each other at any given time. Damn it. 

He swiped a frustrated hand through his hair, causing it to fall out of its usual ordered style. Whatever. He could deal with this tomorrow. The pup just had better behave, whatever they came up with. Resuming his work without a second thought, he managed to get through another hour and a half of steady progression until the ringing telephone interrupted him. 

Still staring at the screen, he reached out and took the receiver. Cradling it on his shoulder so that he could type and talk at the same time, he answered, "Kaiba speaking." 

_"Hi Seto! Can I stay the night at Hotaru's?! Onegaai, nii-sama? He just bought the _coolest_ game ever! I just _have_ to try it with him…"_

Seto blinked at the sudden rush of breathless, pleading words, suddenly realizing that he had completely forgotten that his little brother was not even home. It wasn't unusual for the kid to remain for hours in his room, quietly lost in his vast collection of video games, therefore Seto had not thought much of his brother's lack of greeting. Not to mention, he had been kind of preoccupied in dealing with the fact that he was currently tied to his rival. Mokuba had gone straight to a friend's place after school, if he remembered correctly, "Mokuba, remember what we talked about?" 

_"Aw… but Seeto… I don't really have a lot of homework. I _promise_ that I'll finish it all tomorrow! Just this once? Pleeease? Please-please-please? I'll love you forever!"_

The elder Kaiba barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes at this, but he couldn't help smiling a little as he listened to Mokuba's desperate pleas and promises. Then he caught sight once again of the blond mop against his arm. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea for Mokuba to stay at a friend's tonight. The kid would probably break into fits of hysterical laughter the moment he learned of Seto and Katsuya's unfortunate situation. And, being a Kaiba even if he was still a shrimp, he would probably find a way to use this to his benefit. Of course, Seto obviously couldn't hide it for long, but he could at least gain a little time before being forced to explain. 

With a reluctant sigh, Seto gave in, "Okay, Mokuba," he waited for a moment for the excited squeals and thank-you's to stop before continuing, "…but you had better be home before noon tomorrow. And then you'll spend the rest of the afternoon getting that homework done. No computer or video games until it is. Understood?" 

_"Yes yes yes! You're the best big brother ever, you know that?"_

"See you tomorrow, then," Seto replied with a small smile, shaking his head at his brother's antics. He hung up and looked down beside him again. The pup really was a heavy sleeper, even in that uncomfortable position. No wonder the teachers at school were all so frustrated with Katsuya. 

Without another thought for the irritating mutt or the situation, Seto started typing again, determined to finish the coding he was working on. He worked continuously for hours, unaware of the passing time until he finally leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smirk. He knew he would still have to go over the coding for errors and improvements later, but for now it was enough. He was surprised to find that it was already almost one o'clock in the morning. Rubbing tired eyes, he stood up to stretch but was forced back down in his seat at the forceful pull on his neck, causing him to cough roughly and bring his hand to his throat in surprise. He cursed himself for forgetting about the stupid leash again. 

He heard Katsuya's breath hitch and a small whimper escape as the younger blond clutched at his own neck. And no wonder, with that ugly bruise. It must hurt like hell. Suddenly he found half-open, honey-brown eyes blinking sleepily back at him. Katsuya, obviously not fully aware of the world yet, seemed as though he was slowly trying to work through exactly why he was face to face with his rival at the moment. Seto just smirked back, enjoying the look of sudden horror as the blond finally woke up to the realization that they were still leashed together. 

"Aw man…" Katsuya groaned, hiding his face in his hands as he crouched there on the floor, "I can't believe this…" 

With the smirk still in place, Seto grabbed the other by his closest arm and forced him to stand up, "Believe it, pup. Of course, if you want, I can still detach that blond head of yours from the rest of your body and we can both be free of this undesirable position." 

That seemed to wake Katsuya up a bit more and a hot glare was directed at Seto as he growled, "Jus' try it, moneybags, I dare ya." 

Much more amused than threatened, Seto just shook his head and tugged the growling mutt towards the door. Katsuya followed him quietly enough, except for the occasional muttered insult, until they entered the bedroom. Then he panicked, "Wh-what… Kaiba! What the hell are we doin' here?" 

The stupid mongrel really was an idiot. Seto turned to glare at his unfortunate companion, "I don't know about you, but it's one in the morning and _I_ for one intend to get some sleep." He decided to keep to himself the fact that they were getting up in a few hours to head to Kaiba Corp. No point in adding fuel to the blond's already growing temper. 

"In _your_ bed?!" 

'Oh hell…' Seto pinched the bridge of his nose as though warding off a headache, trying desperately to hold his temper in check. He couldn't believe this. Being forced to spend the night with Katsuya was bad enough, but to have to actually coerce the teen into his bed? Completely ridiculous. 

"Mutt…" 

"No! You'll probably strangle me in my sleep or something! Or… or try to suffocate me with a pillow!" 

Seto growled, tired of arguing with the stupid dog. Actually, just plain tired. It had been a long day and it was only going to get worse tomorrow when he had to drag Katsuya everywhere with him. With a stern glare, he sternly pointed to the bed and commanded in a dangerously low tone, "_Jounouchi_. Get into bed. Now." 

Katsuya blinked and gaped, a look of complete astonishment washing across his face. As though in a daze, he quietly followed the other to the bed, much to Seto's relief. He had been ready to drag the boy to his bed, if need be, but that would have been quite humiliating and unacceptable. Damn dog better learn to behave, or else. 

Seto sighed with frustration when Katsuya stood motionless beside the large king-sized bed, looking quite at a loss over what to do next. Then the CEO suddenly realized that Katsuya probably did not have anything to sleep in, considering Hiroto had only brought him his school bag and uniform. Great, just bloody wonderful. 

"This way, mutt," Seto tiredly motioned him over to the closet and dug through it until he came up with an extra pair of pajama bottoms. They would be a little long for the shorter blond, of course, but that couldn't be helped. He grabbed another pair for himself before turning to Katsuya, "Here." 

Still appearing confused and preoccupied, Katsuya took the offered clothing without a word. Seto turned his back on the other teen, giving them at least a little privacy while they changed. When he turned back around, he found Katsuya in his slightly baggy, red plaid bottoms. The cuffs dragged on the ground some, but they seemed to fit well enough for their purpose. Katsuya was watching him with a bemused look in his eyes, then he noticed Seto glaring back and ducked his head, avoiding the CEO's gaze after that. 

Not even trying to understand what was wrong with the dumb mutt now, Seto led them back to the bed and pulled back the covers, "Get in." 

Katsuya hesitated for only a moment before crawling under the covers with Seto right behind him. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. Being forced to sleep beside his annoying 'rival' with only about two feet of space between them was not something he'd ever normally be willing to put up with. But, under the circumstances, there didn't seem to be any choice. Damn it… if somebody didn't come up with a cure for this madness _soon_, Seto would personally see to it that those worthless yami's and that other freaky Egyptian would regret their very existence. 

With a frustrated growl, he turned his back to his bedmate and closed his eyes, determined to get some sleep despite the awkwardness of their position. Katsuya was still unusually silent. Knowing him, he was most likely already in a deep sleep. Damn lazy mutt. 

It took a bit of time to clear his head enough to sleep, but Seto finally started to drift off, leaving his concerns for the morrow. He'd deal with them then. Just as he was about to lose unconsciousness, he heard a whispered voice mutter from behind him. 

"I hate ya, Kaiba." 

"Mm…" was all he could come up with as sleep finally overtook him. 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

To Be Continued... 

_Fine Kettle of Fish: A troublesomely awkward or embarrassing situation._

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em!   
  



	3. Strange Bedfellows

**(A/N)** Well, I finally got this chapter up! Sorry about the wait. Things have been pretty hectic lately, what with having to move to another province (that's right, I'm Canadian, whoo!) for my summer job. My short attention span probably didn't help much either... lol.   
Anyway, thanks so much for your reviews! I loved each and every one of them! They're very encouraging. Also one reviewer asked me to include english translations for any Japanese words I use, which is a good idea so I'll make sure to do that. 

**Warnings:** future **_shounen-ai (boys kissing boys_**, you know...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU 

**Pairings:** Future Seto/Jou; maybe Honda/Otogi; haven't decided on any others yet. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas (honestly!). 

**Japanese-English Translations for this chapter:**   
-Inu - Dog   
-Make Inu - Loser dog (roughly)   
-Koinu - Puppy 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

**Inescapable You**

Chapter 3: Strange Bedfellows   


At first, Katsuya wasn't sure what it was that had disturbed him from his uneasy dreams. What he did know, however, was that it felt much too early to even think about getting out of bed yet. He lay still, barely conscious of the insistent noise near his ear, and refused to open his eyes. It took a few minutes more before he realized that the noise was actually a voice; a low, demanding, insulting voice. 

"Get up, you useless, lazy son-of-a-dog…!" 

That was strange… Hiroto had never called him _that_ before. His unispike-haired friend usually just resorted to dumping an entire pitcher of ice-cold water on the blond's head if he wanted him to get up before it was time. 

"I mean it, Mutt. I do _not_ want to drag your bloody, unconscious body around with me all day, so you had better get your ass out of my bed and…" 

It didn't sound like Katsuya's father either. The old bastard would never sit idly by hurling threats like that. Not to mention the lack of slurred curses. Relieved to have puzzled out this much, Katsuya sighed and turned over. Having figured out that his old man was definitely not the one trying to get him out of bed, he gave up wondering just who exactly was. It was too early to be playing guessing games and he'd be damned if he was opening his eyes to take a look at this point. 

Slipping back towards unconsciousness, the blond was hardly aware of the body next to him. All he knew was that it was incredibly warm and comfortable. He happily nuzzled further into the source of heat and, to his further delight, the mysterious voice choked and became quiet. 

A couple of tense, silent minutes went by before he heard a half-frustrated, half-questioning, "Mutt…?" 

"G'sleep," Katsuya mumbled, wrapping his arm around the person in an effort to keep them still. It was the _weekend_, for goodness sake! No sane individual would want to wake up before noon on the weekend. It just wasn't healthy. 

The sleeping teen sighed contentedly as the other went silent again. So comfortable… He absently wondered whom he was cuddling up to but didn't think on it too hard. It was much too early to be completely logical. He was quite sure by now that it wasn't Hiroto, though. The brunette would have kicked his ass for snuggling up to him like this. Besides, Katsuya always slept on the floor, at Hiroto's home. This bed felt much too comfortable to be the old, lumpy futon. 

"If you don't stop this ridiculous game, Mutt, I'm going to be very late and _very_ pissed off." 

_Mutt_… why did that sound so familiar? More to the point, why would he be hearing that in _bed_? 

Knowing he'd never be able to sleep now, Katsuya slowly opened one eye and squinted up at the face above him. Icy blue eyes glared coldly back. Brain still foggy with sleep, it took a moment for the meaning of what he was staring at to sink in. 

With a confused frown, he groggily muttered, "…Kaib'?" 

The CEO smirked, raising an eyebrow while still maintaining his glare, "Are you always this cuddly in the morning, Pup?" 

"Shit! Kaiba?!" Katsuya yelped, practically throwing himself away from the surprisingly warm body, "What th' hell're ya doin' in my bed?!" 

Seto remained silent at this but his expression was practically screaming 'I know something that you don't.' They glared at each other, one bewildered and the other cold and angry. Slowly, memories of the day before came back to Katsuya until it finally dawned on him that it really had all been real. It wasn't just some nightmare that he could push to the back of his mind. He was actually leashed and collared, like the damn mutt that Seto had always called him, and on top of that he was tied to the arrogant bastard. His only consolation was that the blue-eyed duelist was in the same humiliating position. 

It took another moment before he realized that he had actually been _cuddling_ Kaiba Seto. Horrified and embarrassed by this discovery, Katsuya glared down at the bed covers. He knew he was blushing, damn it. 

Seto finally broke the uncomfortable silence, "I need to go in for work. Now." 

Still refusing to look up, Katsuya shrugged and muttered, "So go. I don't give a fuck what ya need to do." 

"Get it through your thick skull, Mutt," Seto growled, apparently not pleased by Katsuya's rude statement, "At the moment, what I need, _you_ need. That means _we_ are going to the office. Understood?" 

"Why is it that _I_ get no say in what we do?!" Katsuya snapped, his voice rising as he finally tore his eyes away from the bed to glower at the conceited CEO, "Last night, it was all about what _you_ wanted! _You_ wanted to go somewhere, we went. _You_ wanted to eat, we ate. I even spent my entire evenin' sittin' beside you on th'fucking _floor_ while ya worked on dat fuckin' computer! I'm not doin' that again, Kaiba. No fuckin' way. I've got my own life too, ya know, so back off!" 

Katsuya looked away again, breathing hard. His fingernails were digging painfully into his palms as he desperately tried to control his temper but it was so hard when he couldn't even get away from the one who caused the outburst. Usually he would be able to go off on his own for a while to calm down and start thinking clearly again, but that was impossible now. This was so damn frustrating! 

Seto had not replied straight away to Katsuya's angry rant but when he did it was not what the blond had been expecting, "Your accent's more distinct when you're angry." 

Confused, Katsuya blinked and shifted his eyes partially towards the brunette sitting calmly beside him. It was only then that he realized he was actually shaking. His fists were clenched tightly in his lap while the rest of his body shook from the tension built up inside of him. Even Seto must have noticed. Taking a deep breath, Katsuya slowly let it out and desperately tried to still himself. 

"It… Yeah. Yeah, I know," he finally sighed, staring at the moon-shaped bruising indents on his palms once he forced himself to loosen his hands slightly. More silence followed. It was uncomfortable, maddening even, but Katsuya refused to be the first to break it. He wasn't going to let Seto push him around anymore. Either they agree on a reasonable alternative or Katsuya would just sit there forever. Screw the consequences. 

"I _have_ to work today," Seto said slowly, sounding as though he had a disagreeable taste in his mouth, "But… You can decide how we spend our afternoon, if that is okay with you." 

Katsuya snorted softly and picked at a loose thread on the blanket, "What time are ya working 'til?" He had to admit, though, that he was surprised by Seto's offer. The CEO was usually just as stubborn as himself when he wanted something, if not more so. 

"Usually I would work until five or six and then come home to eat dinner with Mokuba," Seto replied expressionlessly, "But we can leave around two o'clock if you have plans." 

"Noon," Katsuya said firmly, "I want to leave by noon today. It's Saturday for fuck's sake, it's supposed to be a work-free day. And where the hell is the kid anyway? I haven't seen him around at all since I came here." 

"And you certainly won't be seeing him ever again if you don't learn to watch your language around him," was the cold response, "And if you must know, he is at a friend's house and had better be back this morning or else he's grounded. I cannot guarantee I'll be finished by noon but I can try. Now, are we going to get ready to go or not?" 

After taking a moment to think about whether it was worth his time to argue, Katsuya just sighed, "Fine. Whatever. But I'm not sitting on the floor again, got it?" 

"Okay, Koinu, whatever you say," Seto smirked as they carefully slid off the side of the bed. It was awkward, trying not to pull away too far from one another and yet keep the maximum distance possible between them. Katsuya was still feeling a little out of it and glanced at the clock. His eyes widened as his mind registered the numbers. 

"Five-thirty?! You woke me up at five-thirty in the morning?" 

Seto led the way across the room, not even sparing a glance to his whining follower, "You're lucky. I let you sleep in." 

"Like hell you did," Katsuya pouted, rubbing sleep out of his eyes as they stepped into the bathroom. He silently cursed his luck of being stuck with an early rising workaholic. 

The two teenagers stepped in front of the large bathtub and froze before glancing sideways at each other with resigned expressions. There was no avoiding it now. They would have to do _everything_ together until they found a way to solve their problem. That included showering together unless they wanted to go around dirty and stinking for who knew how long. 

"Well," Katsuya sighed, reaching for the bottom of the shirt he had slept in, "it could be worse, I guess." 

"How so?" Seto sneered, shedding his own clothes while the two teens carefully avoided eye contact. As one, they turned their backs to each other before removing the rest of their clothing, careful to remain within the 2-foot limit from each other. 

Katsuya grimaced as he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. Hiroto had been right; it looked as though someone had tried to hang him. More than once. The purple-black bruise ran all the way around his neck, marking the circumference of the collar that was supposedly there. Oh well… it would fade, eventually. At least it would if he stopped strangling himself on the damn thing. 

Turning his attention back to the young CEO behind him, the blond grinned slightly, "I _could_ have been forced to shower with some ugly old geezer instead of you." 

Dead silence… and then, "Get in the shower, Mutt." 

"I'm not a mutt," Katsuya grumbled half-heartedly as he turned to the shower, still keeping his gaze from the young nude man beside him. Seto just smirked again, causing a low growl to escape the blond. He hated how the blue-eyed CEO could remain so composed even when in such a humiliating position. It wasn't fair. Katsuya's own temper rarely could be kept so controlled. 

Back-to-back they stepped under the showerhead. They tried very hard to keep as far from each other as possible and to avoid touching in any way but it did not take long for them to realize just how much shorter their 2-foot leash seemed in this situation. 

"Dammit, Kaiba! Stop hogging the water!" 

"It is _my_ shower, Mutt, so stop your yapping." 

"Stop calling me that! And where's the shampoo?" 

"Sorry, _Mutt_, I don't normally keep dog shampoo on hand." 

"Why you – !" Katsuya, unable to take it any longer, spun around with the intent of strangling the arrogant bastard with his bare hands. Instead he found himself meeting icy, blue eyes and froze. Of course, it wasn't exactly the familiar cold eyes that caused him to stare. No, he had faced that glare many times in the past, though it still gave him the shivers once in a while. It was everything else in front of him that was not so well known. 

Kaiba Seto, despite being such a stuck-up bastard, was definitely not unsightly. In fact, he was quite… 

"What are you staring at, Fleabag?" 

Katsuya blinked and shook his head slightly as though to clear it. No… he had _not_ just checked out Seto. Not in a billion years. Wrinkling his nose at the thought, Katsuya huffed and turned back around to once again contemplate the misfortune of being tied to the damn millionaire. 

The millionaire in reference interrupted his thoughts, however, with a short, insistent, "Pup!" 

With a startled yelp, he dropped the soap he had recently gotten a hold of and turned back to glare at his rival, "Fuck, Kaiba, how many times do I have to tell ya! I'm not a god-damn do – " 

"Where did you get those?" Seto cut him off impatiently; waving vaguely in the direction of the blond's body. 

It took a moment for Katsuya to understand what Seto was going on about. When realization finally did strike him, he cursed at his bad luck. This was _not_ what he needed right now. 

Seto, noticing the lack of response, sneeringly raised an eyebrow, "Well?" 

"Well what?" The younger teen snapped, self-consciously crossing his arms in front of him, "Maybe it ain't none of your business, Moneybags." 

'It' referred to the fairly large collection of pale scars scattered over the shivering teenager's body. He obviously had not been thinking straight to willingly undress in front of Seto. Maybe he had thought that the other wouldn't notice, wouldn't turn around and look even. It was too late now to hide them, though, which made Katsuya feel slightly sick and exposed. He had always been so careful in the past to keep others from noticing his deformities. Only Hiroto had seen them and knew where most of them came from. His friend had even tended to many of the fresh cuts in the past. But now Seto had seen them… Why couldn't the fucking bastard just keep his eyes to himself! 

In response, Seto's eyes seemed to grow even frostier, though Katsuya hadn't even thought that was possible, "I never intended to make it my business, Make Inu. Don't presume to think that I care that much about all the little dog-fights you get into." 

"Fine," Katsuya snarled, twisting away again, "Shut the fuck up, then. And hand me the damn shampoo!" 

Seto just smirked and squirted some shampoo onto his own hand, "I don't recall making any agreements to share my things with you just because we are bound together. Did you not think to bring your own?" He tossed the bottle behind him, out of Katsuya's reach, and started to lather his hair. 

"You bastard, son-of-a – " Katsuya angrily took a step forward, his face reddening in fury over the CEO's mocking attitude. He hated the jerk! How the hell were they going to make it through even one day like this if they couldn't even cooperate enough to shower for five minutes? Unfortunately Katsuya was unable to finish his threat as his foot landed directly on the forgotten bar of soap. 

With a surprised cry, the blond duelist slipped and fell backwards, swinging his arms wildly in a futile attempt at catching his balance. The collar around his neck tightened sharply and painfully as he crashed to the bottom of the tub. Fortunately for him, his head managed to barely miss the edge of the tub. But then that turned out to be the least of his worries as another body landed directly on top of him, forcing out any remaining air that had not been choked off by the collar. 

Gasping desperately for oxygen that refused to fill his lungs, Katsuya squeezed his eyes shut against the spray of the water and started clawing in vain at the invisible bind around his neck. Air… gods, why couldn't he get any air?! 

Wheezing, he didn't even have breath enough to groan over the pain in his chest and his throat. That damn bruise was throbbing worse than ever. 

"Stop it, Inu! Calm down. Listen to me, you damn mutt." 

Hands grabbed Katsuya's own, forcing them away from the skin of his neck. He struggled, still feeling the lack of oxygen, and managed to rasp, "I… I-I c-can't br-breath. I… ca-can't…" 

"I know, I can see that," Seto growled from his very awkward place on top of the gasping blond, "Just don't panic. Stop trying to force it in and relax, you hear me, Mutt?" 

Katsuya breathlessly swore and tried to relax. Easier said than done but he could already feel his lungs starting to fill again. Soon he was gratefully gulping in mouthfuls of wonderful, life-giving oxygen once again. It was fantastic. Pure bliss. He sighed, leaning his head back against the ceramic bottom of the tub and slowly opened his eyes.   
Emotionless, sapphire eyes glared straight back. 

They stared at each other for a few moments until Katsuya blinked and suddenly realized his position. Never before had he even imagined he would ever end up naked, soaking wet, and under Kaiba Seto, of all people. "Um… K-Kaiba?" How utterly embarrassing. 

With a cold look, Seto sneered, "What is it, Mutt?" 

"Uh…" Katsuya blushed lightly, thankful that his face was probably already red from the heat of the shower, "I thought you had to get to work?" 

The normally punctual CEO cursed under his breath, "I do. And thanks to you, I am already very late." 

"Well, don't blame me," Katsuya grumbled as they carefully helped each other stand back up, "It wouldn't have happened if you weren't so possessive over your stupid shampoo, ya know. Shampoo hog." 

Seto ignored him, determined to get out of the shower and head straight to work before the entire day went to waste. He angrily shoved the shower curtain aside, ignoring his complaining companion, and got ready to step out. 

"Um, Kaib'?" 

"What?!" Seto hissed with a narrow-eyed glare, obviously at the end of his patience, "I am already late for work and if you want to have _any_ time to do what _you_ want this afternoon, you pathetic animal, you had better get out _now_ and follow me. I will not put up with your clumsy tricks a moment longer; you got that, Make Inu?!" 

Katsuya blinked, almost shocked by this display of anger by the usually emotionless teen, then grinned, "Hey, Moneybags, you plannin' on goin' to work with all that shampoo left in your hair?" 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

It was 7:30 by the time they finished showering, figured out how to use the toilet without killing each other first, grabbed a bite to eat (Katsuya absolutely refused to budge out that door without breakfast), and made it to the Kaiba Corp. office building. To say Seto was not in the best of moods by this time would be the understatement of the year. 

He was furious. 

The fuming CEO stormed through the glass doors with a glum-looking Katsuya following close behind. The secretary and a few employees stared curiously at this strange sight but one glare from their boss sent them scurrying to avoid the pair. Seto did not bother to greet anyone, heading straight for his own private office instead. Even Katsuya didn't dare protest their hurry to reach their destination once he caught a glimpse of the other's face. 

Although tempted to force the blond to once again sit at his side on the floor like the dog he was, Seto knew that this would just start another argument and waste more time so he grabbed an extra chair from the other side of the large, tidy desk and set it down beside his own comfortable seat, "Sit, Mutt." 

"Stop bossin' me around, Moneybags," Katsuya rebelliously glared, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest, "Didn't ya ever get taught any manners?" 

"Did no one ever teach _you_ correct grammar and pronunciation," Seto shot back before shoving his protesting companion into the chair and sitting down himself, "Now be a good little dog and keep quiet while your master works." 

Ignoring the expected pathetic retorts and curses, Seto opened his large briefcase and took out the disks and papers he needed for the day. He slipped one of the disks into the computer on the desk and opened the necessary files. And then _finally_ he was able to begin his work for the day. Not that he would get much done by the looks of things. 

It wasn't until he had been rapidly typing for a while that he felt those puppy-dog eyes watching him. At first he just disregarded the stare and kept up his steady typing with momentary glances at the printed documents lying on the surface of the desk. It did not take long, however, before he began to become annoyed by the constant, inquisitive gaze. Finally, without pausing the graceful movements of his fingers, Seto snapped, "What are you looking at, Mutt?" 

"You," was the surprisingly direct reply. 

Frowning slightly, Seto finally tore his gaze from the screen to turn and face the oddly confusing pup, "Why?" 

Katsuya tilted his head to the side, just like a curious puppy much to Seto's amusement, "I dunno. You just looked so intense… I mean, when you were working. Just…" he trailed off and looked away, a slight blush gracing his face. 

Raising an eyebrow at this, the CEO sighed and shook his head, "Are you bored, Pup?" 

He didn't know what made him ask this. It wasn't as though he cared what the stupid blond felt but he defended himself by deciding that he would never get any work done at all if Katsuya kept staring at him like that. Those large, imploring, honey-filled eyes… 

Seeming just as confused over the question, Katsuya gave him a suspicious look at first before answering, "What d'ya think? You honestly aren't the most exciting guy to spend my day with." 

Seto snorted at this, knowing Katsuya would most likely still be asleep right now if not for certain unfortunate circumstances. Taking a moment to think about what he could give the bored duelist to keep him entertained, Seto finally pulled out a small folder from the desk drawer, "Here." 

Katsuya took the proffered folder and gave it a questioning, confused look, "What's this for?" 

"Since you are here, you might as well make yourself useful," the young CEO coldly explained, pushing the telephone nearer to Katsuya despite the growing alarmed expression on the other's face, "Those are the names and numbers of people I have made arrangements to meet with over the next few months. What you can do is confirm the time and location of these business meetings. Do you think you can handle it, Mutt?" 

Katsuya gaped for a moment, as though unable to believe that Seto would hold him responsible for anything more than keeping quiet. After realizing that the brunette was actually serious, he quickly nodded, "Okay… sure. I can do that. But… if I'm working for you…" 

"Yes, you'll be paid if you prove yourself capable," Seto impatiently answered the unspoken question, turning back to his own work. 

Seemingly satisfied with this assurance, Katsuya opened the folder and began the task given to him with surprising determination. For a while they worked quietly side-by-side; Katsuya constantly phoning companies, quietly confirming the meetings, and Seto typing away at his computer. Seto, though grateful for the cooperation and help, was still a little astonished at how easily Katsuya had agreed with his offer. He had thought that the street-punk teen would do anything to avoid extra work. 

Seto was so absorbed that he hardly noticed the passing of time but at exactly twelve o'clock Katsuya firmly shut his folder and stretched out his arms with a satisfied groan, "So… I was thinking we stop by Yugi's first. He'll be wanting to know how we're doin' and all. Then we pick up Honda and head for the arcade. I don't think me an' you should try any sports or nothing, considering it's kinda hard to move around tied together like this, but arcade games should be easy, 'specially two player games..." 

Completely ignoring the rambling blond's plans, Seto pointedly picked out another spreadsheet and continued typing. Did Katsuya not realize how much he had to catch up on? First the entire morning had been wasted (entirely the mutt's fault, of course), and now he was expected to just get up and leave at _noon_? Fat chance. 

"Hello? Kaiba, you listenin' to me? It's time to go!" Katsuya, realizing that he was being ignored, reached over and grabbed Seto's hands in an attempt to stop their continuous typing. 

Startled by this action, Seto stared uncomprehendingly at the pale-skinned hands covering his own slightly darker fingers. Then he frowned in annoyance, "Mutt, if you know what's good for you, you will remove your hands." 

Instead of the expected fight, Katsuya just laughed and tugged the other teen's hands fully away from the keyboard, "No! You said we could have the rest of the day to do what _I_ want an' that's just what we're gonna do. So get get yer ass outta your chair and let's go!" 

"I don't have time for this, Inu, now keep quiet and let me finish working – " 

"I'll scream." 

Seto blinked at this unexpected announcement. The mutt actually looked serious. Narrowing his eyes, the brunette asked, "You'll what?" 

Katsuya grinned, "I said, Moneybags, that I'll scream if you don't let us leave right this second. I'll scream _rape_ until one of your little minions calls the police on you for attempting it. So, what d'ya say?" 

"Are you… threatening me?" the CEO growled, unable to believe the nerve of the damn blond. Not to mention how utterly immature that was. 

With an exaggerated deep breath, Katsuya opened his mouth as though to follow through with his warning. Eyes widening, Seto quickly slapped his hand over the other's mouth, muffling the start of the yell. Was he mad?! 

They glared at each other for a few minutes until Seto gave in, knowing that he was unlikely to get much else done anyway if he was forced to keep an eye on Katsuya every second of the day, "Fine. Just let me pack up." 

Satisfied with this, Katsuya nodded with a muffled noise of approval and Seto quickly took back his hand. He took his time shutting off his computer and organizing the papers for the next day in a small effort to stall their departure but soon enough they were up and heading out of the building. The secretary gaped in wide-eyed shock at the rare sight of her boss leaving early, not to mention the fact that the blond haired teenager was still following the CEO a little too closely. 

It was a short drive to the Kame Game Shop but Katsuya seemed to find it to be the most exciting thing in the world to ride in a limousine. And not just any limousine; Kaiba Seto's limo. Seto was forced to watch, torn between irritation and amusement as the continuously chatting blond experimented with all buttons and switches unfortunately placed within his reach. The highlight seemed to be making sunroof and windows repeatedly open and close. For once, Seto was relieved to reach the game shop. 

Yugi was happy to see them, as always, and eagerly invited them into the house at the back of the shop, "Hi Jou! Good afternoon, Kaiba. Come on in! Everybody's in the living room waiting to see you." 

'Everybody' turned out to be Hiroto, Ryuuji, Ryou and Yami. Kaiba was glad to see that Yami Bakura and Malik were nowhere to be seen. He doubted he would be able to control his temper once he got hold of those two psychos. 

Katsuya cheerfully greeted his friends, forcing Seto to follow him over to the couch with a meaningful look, and sat down beside Ryou. Hiroto, Yami and Ryuuji were on the floor, a bowl of popcorn between them and duel monster cards spread out all over the carpet around them. Seto let his gaze travel coolly over the lot and promptly decided they weren't worth the effort to act friendly towards. He instead returned to glaring at the opposite wall. 

"Wow, I didn't expect you two to show up here," the dice master commented, twirling a strand of black hair around his finger as he gave them a curious green-eyed look, "And neither one looking permanently damaged, either." 

Hiroto grinned, "Yup, didn't I tell you? Fork over the twenty, Otogi." 

Seto snorted at this immature display, annoyed by the fact that people were betting on him and his ability to put up with one measly little koinu. He looked sideways at Katsuya just in time to catch the blond sheepishly scratching his head, "Yeah, so far it hasn't been so bad. Moneybags, here, ain't so tough." 

"Really?" Seto raised an eyebrow, "As I recall it, I'm only here because of your constant whining." 

Katsuya flushed slightly and looked away, "Whateva. Anyway, Honda, you wanna come to the arcade wit' us?" 

There was a moment of bewildered silence from the others in the room at their obvious exclusion in this invitation before Hiroto stood up and nodded, "Sure, but can I speak with you privately for a moment?" 

A private conversation with Katsuya obviously meant Seto was forced to follow as well. He didn't resist, though, not wanting to sound as pathetic as the whimpering mutt to get his way. They went with the pointed-haired brunette into the kitchen and Hiroto pulled his blond friend away from Seto as much as possible. Which wasn't far. 

"What's the matter, Jou?" 

Seto blinked at this question. He hadn't noticed any indication that anything _was_ wrong with the other teen. Now, however, he took a closer look and saw the hint of uncertainty in those bright honey-brown eyes. 

With a hesitant glance back at Seto, Katsuya sighed and mumbled, "I wanna get my stuff from home." 

"Oh," Hiroto, for some reason, also glanced at the confused CEO. His expression, however, seemed thoughtful, "I can just go myself and –" 

Katsuya shook his head, "No, that's alright. I just want you to help me. I should probably take all the stuff I'm going ta need, seein' as how I'll probably be spending awhile at Kaiba's and Kaiba doesn't know how to share his things," the blond explained, sticking his tongue out at Seto. 

Hiroto shot the young company owner a warning glare, causing Seto to scowl back at him, "Fine. Let's go get the mutt's things." 

"Jou, what about…" 

"It's fine, Honda. I'll deal with it. That's why you're comin' along anyway." 

By this point, Seto was utterly baffled by this strange conversation. They made such a simple thing as going to Katsuya's apartment into a big drama show. But he decided to just keep quiet about it, figuring he would find out soon enough what they were going on about. 

Hiroto still seemed reluctant about the entire situation but he finally gave in with a shrug, "Okay, if that's what you want. It'll probably be good for you to get away for awhile anyway." 

Katsuya glared, "Shut-up, Honda. Let's just go." 

They went back to the living room to explain to their friends that they were leaving. Seto was glad to get out of there. While most of them weren't so bad individually, the group was just plain annoying when they were all together like that. 

Back in the limo, while Katsuya happily showed Hiroto all of the supposedly fun 'secrets' of the fancy vehicle, Seto stared expressionlessly out the window. The driver had been given the directions to the Jounouchi residence and from what Seto knew of the area, it was definitely not in the nicest part of town. In fact, it was one of the areas that he had absolutely forbidden his little brother to walk through alone, knowing the types of shady characters who lived among those streets. 

They stopped in front of an old, run-down apartment building that looked as though it had seen better days, confirming Seto's suspicions. Seto stared at it in disgust for a moment before turning to the two boys beside him, "This is where you live, Mutt? Why am I not surprised…" 

"Lay off, Jackass," Hiroto glared heatedly as Katsuya dropped his gaze, "Not everyone can afford to stay in some mansion like you do." 

"Of course not," Seto sneered, giving the place one last criticizing look. Then he glanced at the blond, who was pointedly avoiding eye contact, and sighed, "Whatever. Let's just get this over with." 

Katsuya looked up again with a panicked expression, "No, wait! I… I mean, Hiroto's goin' up first." 

"What? Why?" Seto frowned as Hiroto opened the car door. 

Katsuya's best friend just patted the blond on the shoulder in a reassuring way and studied the CEO with a serious look in his eyes. Finally, just as the Seto was about to demand an explanation for this strange behavior, Hiroto shrugged and grinned, "Well, no point in all of us going up there if it turns out the door is locked. Jou forgot his keys, as usual, so I'll just run up and check to see if his apartment is open. Do you approve, oh mighty Moneybags?" 

Seto glared back, then crossed his arms and snapped, "Well, hurry up then. I haven't got all day." 

After Hiroto had left, the remaining two young men sat in silence. After a few minutes, Seto realized that Katsuya was staring out the window at the apartment building entrance with a worried air about him. He refrained from commenting on it, however, knowing the blond was unlikely to confide in him for any reason. The more panicked the mutt seemed to become, though, the more uncomfortable Seto became. He was even starting to become a little concerned over whatever secret the two boys were keeping from him. To quell the uneasy feeling in his stomach, Seto tried to distract his companion, "Are we still going to the arcade after this, Pup?" 

Startled, Katsuya tensed and then quietly answered, "I guess." 

More silence. Seto shifted restlessly in his seat, wondering what was taking the other brat so long in returning. Finally, after what seemed forever, they saw Hiroto jog out of the door towards them. Katsuya let out a relieved sound and relaxed, confusing Seto further. There was definitely something going on here… 

"It's okay, Jou, we can go in. Nothing to worry about," the younger brunette reported once he had reached them. 

Katsuya grinned, "Great! Let's make it quick, though. Kaiba wants enough time left to go to the arcade!" 

Hiroto helped the leashed teens out of the car and laughed as Seto gritted his teeth in an effort to check his temper, "Dream on, Mutt." 

As they walked up to the building and through the dark hallways, Seto noted the peeling wallpaper and dirty, scuffed floor with disgust. The place was a dump. They quickly reached Katsuya's door. A small, crooked nameplate reading 'Jounouchi' hung on the splintering, dented wood. Wonderful. He honestly hoped the inside wasn't as bad as the outside suggested. 

The three teens glanced at each other, two hesitant and one impatient, and then the door was opened and they stepped inside. 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

To Be Continued... 

_Strange Bedfellows: Unlikely companions or allies_

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em!   
  
  



	4. Underdog

**(A/N)** Oops... It's been a month since the last update. Sorry about that! I'd give you excuses, but I really don't have any except that I was just being my usual lazy, procrastinating self, lol. Your reviews sure helped a lot though! I'd probably never get anything done without you readers there to guilt me into it (thanks!!). Anyway, it's a slightly longer chapter to make it up to you all. A bit of angst (kind of), a bit of humour... Hopefully it works for you!   
**To answer a few questions from reviewers:**   
- I know using the first names (Katsuya, Hiroto, etc.) might be a little disconcerting, but unfortunately I didn't really think of that until after I started posting... I guess I just wanted to be different or add a bit of variety, who knows, but it would be kind of hard to change that now. So I hope it doesn't hurt the fic too much...   
- I tried to use 'Mutt' and other insults a little less in this chapter, but it's hard!! I'm so used to Seto just calling him 'Mutt' all the time, lol.   
- Yes, the titles are sayings. Idioms, to be exact, I think. I don't know if I'll do all the chapter titles this way, but they seemed fitting for the moment.   
- Unfortunately I have never seen any Japanese subbed versions of Yu-Gi-Oh! No access or money for them at the moment. I very, very much want to though... and I swear I will one day! Most of the Japanese stuff I only know from reading other fics or internet research (and therefore might not all be correct so I try not to use it excessively.) Subbed sounds so much more interesting than dubbed though -sniff-, at least I can still stare at all those wonderful bishies! 

**Warnings**: future shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, you know...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU 

**Pairings**: Future Seto/Jou; maybe Honda/Otogi; haven't decided on any others yet. 

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas. Or Mario... 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

**Inescapable You**

Chapter 4: Underdog   


He could feel Seto's probing gaze boring into the back of his head as they stepped over another broken beer bottle. The Jounouchi apartment was small, especially compared to the giant mansion the elder Kaiba was used to. The walls and carpet were all the same drab brown and littered with the odd unidentifiable stain, and the air smelt stale. The space seemed very cramped, even though the place was only sparsely furnished, and always left Katsuya feeling slightly claustrophobic. He winced as he felt a bit of glass crunch underfoot, glad that he had remembered to warn them to keep their shoes on when entering the forbidding home. Seto was probably silently laughing at him by now, seeing the dump the so-called dog lived in. Hopefully they wouldn't be here long, though; Katsuya had no idea what he would do if his father came home and found out he had invited friends over. 

Hiroto was in the lead as they made their way through the dim rooms, shooting silent, concerned glances back at Katsuya every once in a while. Katsuya was just glad to have his friend here with him instead of handling this alone with the rich, ignorant CEO. 

He hesitated when they reached his room, desperately wishing that he had never been forced to bring Seto here with him. He was never going to hear the end of it. But there was nothing he could do about it now. With a resigned shrug, he opened the splintering, marked up door and entered the bedroom. 

A slight tug around his neck stopped him halfway in and he shot his leashed companion an uneasy look before deciding that avoiding eye contact altogether would be easiest. Seto seemed to find the room exceptionally interesting for some reason and took his time impassively studying everything. 

Posters of Katsuya's favourite bands covered the walls and all kinds of objects and clothing littered the floor. There was a small desk in one corner, its surface covered by papers, magazines and other odds and ends. A mattress that looked as though it had seen better days lay against the opposite wall. Blankets were piled upon it, creating a cozy looking nest of warmth and comfort. 

All in all, it was definitely a far cry from Seto's immaculately spotless, perfectly arranged bedroom back at the mansion. 

"Nice room," Seto finally commented without a hint of approval, turning his eyes to the back of the blond head in front of him, "It certainly suits you." 

The brunette's face was as unreadable as ever when Katsuya took another quick peek at it but he was sure he could practically feel the waves of contempt and disgust rolling off the millionaire. Trying hard not to feel ashamed over something that wasn't completely his fault in the first place, Katsuya turned to the other brunette standing nearby, "There should be a duffel bag somewhere in my closet, see if ya can find it, okay? An' then just start stuffin' clothes in it." 

After Hiroto bravely went to dig around in the formidable mess that was the closet, Katsuya approached the desk and started collecting the papers that had notes for school on them as well as a few books and magazines. Arms full, he turned and shoved the things into Seto's hands before turning to the drawer of the desk. Surprisingly enough, the CEO didn't complain about this except for a quiet grunt of disapproval. 

Quickly grabbing a few more essentials, such as the framed photo of Shizuka, his battered discman and a hairbrush, Katsuya finally felt he was ready to leave. They were taking one last glance around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything when Seto spoke up, "Shouldn't you leave a note for your father, Pup? I'm sure he'll be wondering where you've run off to." 

The sudden silence obviously puzzled the millionaire as he looked questioningly from one frozen face to the next. Katsuya studied the frayed carpet at his feet, wishing once again that he were anywhere but here. Hiroto avoided Seto's stare as well and shrugged, "Let's just go." 

Frowning, Seto refused to budge, "What is wrong with you two? What are you keeping from me, Mutt?" 

"Nothing," Katsuya muttered, kicking aside a dirty shirt, "I don't wanna talk 'bout it. 'Specially with you." 

Seto glared and opened his mouth, ready to insult the blond once again and demand an explanation for this unorthodox behaviour when they heard the sound of a door opening and slamming shut again from somewhere in the apartment. All three boys froze and Katsuya's face drained of blood, leaving him frighteningly pale. 

Katsuya remained staring at the door with a horrified expression, "Oh shit… shit, shit, shit…" 

"Damn it," Hiroto instinctively stepped closer to his blond friend, laying a hand protectively upon the other's shivering shoulder, "Come on, Jou. We'll go out the window. It's okay." 

"What?!" Seto turned on him, lowering his voice when he noticed the terrified eyes upon him, "I am _not_ going out the window. What's wrong with using the door?" 

Katsuya nervously licked his lips, once again staring at the door, "I… w-we can't go out the door 'cause…" 

"He doesn't have to explain anything to you, Kaiba," Hiroto fiercely broke in, his voice a harsh whisper, "All you need to know is he's not allowed friends over so we can't get caught here, got it?" 

"Boy? Issat you?" A loud, rough voice came from somewhere inside the apartment, startling the three young men, "Where're ya hidin'?" 

"Crap," Katsuya mumbled, frantically looking at his friend as though for guidance, "He knows I'm h-here, I… I can't jus' leave n-now. H-he… I n-need ta clean up the house… f-forgot to… a-and dinner…" 

Seto incredulously stared at the sight of a panicking Jounouchi, wondering just what the hell was going on. He watched, not knowing what to make of the situation, as Hiroto grabbed the stuttering blond's shoulders and pulled him away from the door, talking to him quietly. The other brunette seemed to be trying to convince Katsuya that it was okay to just leave and was reminding him of his physical attachment to Seto. 

There was another uneven, questioning yell, sounding a bit closer than before, followed by a loud crash and some cursing. Suddenly the pieces started to fall into place. With growing suspicion, Seto stopped with the others by the window and took a closer look at the trembling boy at his side, "Jounouchi, your father…" 

A warning glare from Hiroto silenced him but he was quite sure now that he had solved at least part of the puzzle. Katsuya was afraid of his own father. The blond continued trying to look over his shoulder with wide, panic-filled eyes at the bedroom door but Hiroto kept pulling him back, "Jou, we're leaving. Come on, Jou, it's okay. We don't have to see him. He'll never know. Look at me, Jounouchi, ignore him for once. I'm here, bud. We're going to use the fire-escape like usual, okay?" 

"B-but… No! Honda, I can't… He needs me…" 

Realizing they were getting no where with the panicking blond, Seto finally stepped forward and helped Hiroto shove Katsuya out of the window and onto the fire-escape landing, "It's alright, Pup. Let's go home." 

Hiroto shot Seto a grateful look before helping the shaking, almost hyperventilating Katsuya down the metal stairs. A few minutes later they reached the limousine and fit themselves inside. Katsuya still seemed extremely agitated and only calmed down slightly once Hiroto wrapped his arms tightly around him. Burying his face against his friend's chest, Katsuya took large, gulping breaths, trying to stop shaking, "S-sorry… sorry…" 

"Stop it," Hiroto pulled the blond in closer, despite the fact that Seto was forced to sit uncomfortably close as well, "Just breath, okay? Don't think about it. You don't owe him anything." 

Seto was surprised at the bitter note in Hiroto's voice but remained silent as the limo took off down the street. He watched the two friends embrace, surer than ever now about his newest assumptions of the eldest Jounouchi no matter how absurd it seemed. Happy, go lucky Jou? How was it possible… there had never been any indication in the past. At least not any obvious ones… 

"Kaiba?" Hiroto's voice quietly reached him and he looked at them to find Katsuya asleep, still wrapped protectively within his friend's arms, "I guess you know now, being the genius that you are…" 

With a soft snort, Seto glared at the opposite seat and folded his arms uneasily as he thought of the scars he had seen just that morning, "How long has this been going on for?" 

"A while," was all Hiroto would indulge, also avoiding eye contact. 

"And why did we have to practically force him to leave…?" 

Hiroto sighed and looked down at the slumbering teen in his arms, brushing his fingers lightly through the longish, golden hair, "It's… well, it's complicated. His father's all he's got left, after all. He… I think he feels as though it's his fault though, and he's trying to make up for it no matter how much it hurts him in the process." 

Seto glanced over at them, "What does he think is his fault?" 

"Everything. His parents' fights, the divorce, his father's drinking, the… Just everything. And it seems to be getting worse at home." 

"Does anybody else know?" 

Letting out a soft, harsh chuckle, Hiroto shook his head, "Jou… he's a good actor. I've just known him long enough to be able to look past what everyone else gets to see. And you know," he shifted a bit into a more comfortable position and met Seto's eyes, "He's not going to like you knowing about this one bit. It's bad enough you had to see that but if you try using it against him I swear, Kaiba, I'll make you pay. If you hurt him, I'll hurt you back triple, understand?" 

Seto frowned, knowing that for once the teen beside him was dead serious in his threat. He could almost understand Hiroto's protectiveness over the mutt, of course. They were very close to each other, after all. Almost brothers in a way, always looking out for each other. 

Katsuya whimpered quietly in his sleep as the car jerked to a stop for a red light and Seto glanced down to see the blond curled up as close as possible to his comrade. Instead of the usual open, cheerful, stubbornly defiant expression that Seto was so used to seeing on Katsuya's face, there was only a pained, worried frown. The pup looked too vulnerable at the moment and Seto did not like that one bit. He was used to fighting a defiant, fiery Jounouchi, not this… 

The limo pulled up in front of the mansion and Seto was forced to wait as Hiroto gently woke Katsuya up. The blond seemed confused at first, blinking at the other two occupants in the car with a dazed expression, "Honda…?" 

"We're at Kaiba's home," the unispike-haired teen explained, easing Katsuya from his lap. 

"Oh…" Purposefully avoiding the CEO's piercing gaze, Katsuya crawled out of the car with the help of his friend. Seto followed close behind and soon they were all standing on the front porch with uncomfortable expressions, not knowing what to say to each other. 

Finally, feeling as though he should end this awkward silence, Seto said, "The servants will bring your things to my room, Jounouchi. Did you still want to go out to the arcade? There is still time left before dinner." 

Amber eyes widened in surprise and quickly looked at Seto before lowering back down to the ground, "I… I dunno. 'Don't really feel like it no more." 

"Fine. Let's go inside then. Are you staying as well, Honda?" 

Hiroto hesitated with a concerned glance at the quiet blond before regretfully shaking his head, "I can't. I was supposed to be home twenty minutes ago helping my mom with chores. Jou… are you – " 

"I'll be _fine_," Katsuya muttered, still glaring down at the wooden porch as though it were the most interesting thing in the world, "Stop with the babying, 'kay?" 

Seto smirked in amusement at Katsuya's stubborn nature. The boy would never change. At least, in a way, he hoped not. 

Hiroto just nodded, apparently not surprised by this, "Alright then. See you later," and as he passed Seto he lowered his voice, "Just remember what I said, Kaiba. I meant every damn word." 

Seto only glared at the brunet's retreating back, not liking the imbecile's tone of voice. Nobody was allowed to speak to him like that. Deciding that now, however, was not the time to be starting fights, Seto clenched his jaw and grabbed Katsuya's forearm loosely, "Let's go, Inu." 

Katsuya flinched from the touch and pulled his arm away with a glare, "Is it jus' too much effort for you to _ask_ instead of bein' so demanding, Moneybags? Geeze…" 

Ignoring each other as much as possible while on such a short leash, they entered the mansion. Seto flung off his trench coat and was trying to decide where they should spend their afternoon when he suddenly remembered something. As they headed down one of the many hallways, Seto spotted a young maid and pulled her aside, "Is Mokuba home?" 

"Yes, Kaiba-san. I saw him in his room earlier, finishing his homework," she smiled politely. 

"Good. Go and tell him to meet me in the game room." 

"Yes, Kaiba-san," she bowed and went off to find the youngest Kaiba. 

Seto led Katsuya, who was apparently not on speaking terms with him at the moment, into the large room designated as the game room. As they entered, Seto watched with satisfaction as Katsuya's mouth dropped open at the sight of the enormous entertainment system set up within. A large, flat-screened television covered almost an entire wall and nearly Mokuba's entire collection of the newest and best gaming systems were spread across the shelves and floor. 

The blond dualist just gaped in awe at what seemed to be his dream room until Seto pulled him onto a large, comfortable couch. The CEO smirked, "See? Is this not much better than going to some dirty arcade with out-dated machines and noisy, pushy children?" 

At this, Katsuya transferred his astonished gaze from the entertainment set-up to the brunette beside him, "You… this… huh?" 

Rolling his eyes at the speechless teen, Seto reached over for the T.V. remote control and tossed it to his companion, "Here. See what's on T.V. first. If you'd rather play a game, wait for Mokuba to set something up for you. All I request is that you keep the volume down while I work." 

Those adorable puppy-dog eyes widened and lit up as Katsuya gleefully aimed the remote at the television set, "Wow! This is so fuckin' cool! How many channels you got?" 

He had known it would be an ingenious idea to let Katsuya have free reign of the entertainment system. It was apparently the sort of thing that could cheer up the blond teen for quite awhile. Not that Seto truly cared what the dumb dog was feeling, of course, he just couldn't stand to see that miserable expression on the other's face. It just… wasn't right. That's all. 

"I am a _Kaiba_," Seto calmly replied as he pulled out his laptop from the large, metal briefcase he had carried in with him, "I have more than enough channels to keep you occupied for months on end. And as I mentioned before, keep your foul language to yourself around my little brother. Got it?" 

"Huh? Oh… right," Katsuya obviously had not heard a word, completely absorbed in staring at the screen. He was flipping rapidly through the channels without hardly a pause to absorb what was showing on each one. 

_Well_, Seto thought, _whatever keeps the pup quiet and happy right now_. At least that ashamed, defeated look had disappeared from the other's eyes. For some reason, Seto felt oddly relieved to see Katsuya nearly back to his old cheerful, innocent self, even if it most likely was a well-constructed mask. They would, of course, have to talk about what had happened back at the Jounouchi residence at some point, but that would have to wait until Seto was more sure about what exactly was going on in that unexpectedly complicated blond head. 

"Oniisan! You're home!" Mokuba rushed into the room, grinning from ear to ear as he tried to glomp his brother. This was deterred, however, as Seto quickly held up a hand in an effort to save his precious laptop from being crushed. 

The older Kaiba smiled a bit at his brother's enthusiasm, his face softening ever so slightly, "Yes, I'm home. For the rest of the day, it seems. We have a guest." 

At this, Mokuba finally seemed to realize that the two brothers were not alone in the room, "Oh! Hi, Jounouchi. Oniisan, why aren't you…" the boy trailed off, blinked, then frowned, "Wait a minute… Jounouchi?" 

"Hey, kid," Katsuya glanced at him with a small grin before continuing to channel surf. By the small frown of concentration, it was obvious he was nervous or uncomfortable about something. 

Seto chuckled at the younger boy's astonishment, "Is there something wrong with Jounouchi being here, Mokuba?" 

Mokuba's eyebrows rose at this, "No… but… It's not every day I see you two hanging out together like this." 

"Yes, well…" Seto glanced at the teenager beside him, who was still resolutely ignoring the Kaiba brothers, "He is going to be staying with us for a few days. There have been some, shall we say, complications." 

Katsuya snorted and finally turned his attention away from the television screen, "What he's tryin' to say is we're stuck together by an invisible leash, thanks to Bakura and Malik, until someone figures out how to free us, which means I'm forced to stay in this dump 'til we come up wit' something." 

"You're calling _my_ home a dump, Inu?" Seto's eyebrow rose. Katsuya's face flushed with humiliation, his eyes darkening as he turned to stare blankly at the television again. The brunette forced back a sigh, silently berating himself for bringing that up just now. 

"Um…" Mokuba's eyes had widened considerably, "So… Jounouchi and you…" 

"Correct," Seto looked away from the unusually quiet blond, "I'll explain the details later. Right now, however, I need to work, so kindly show the mutt our selection of movies and games. It's his choice, Mokuba, so no whining." 

Mokuba stuck out his tongue, "I do _not_ whine, Oniisan. Invisible leash, my ass…" 

"Language, Mokuba," Seto berated his younger brother before glaring at the other teen, "See how you're influencing him, Make Inu?" 

"Hey! I didn't say nothing," Katsuya growled, fiercely returning the glare much to Seto's satisfaction. 

"If you didn't say nothing, then you must have said something," Seto smirked, earning himself another pissed-off, though slightly confused growl. 

Mokuba just gave the two bickering teens an odd look before shaking his head with an exaggerated sigh, "You two fight like an old married couple, you know that? Now, do you want to watch a movie or play a video game, Jounouchi?" 

After it was decided that a movie would be put on, peace and quiet returned to the household. Glad for it, Seto quickly returned to his laptop. It was strange to be home so early. Normally he would still be putting in endless hours at the office until Mokuba forced him to give it up. 

Something settled heavily against his shoulder almost an hour later and he caught sight of a mop of golden-blond hair from the corner of his eye. _Katsuya must have fallen asleep again, _Seto thought with slight amusement. The CEO decided to let the pup use him as a headrest once again, preferring it to a loud, wide-awake Jou. At least this way he would be able to get more work done without the noisy distractions. 

He didn't notice when Mokuba glanced back at them with a surprised, yet pleased smile from his position on the floor. Instead he let Katsuya settle against him and continued to type until his own eyelids grew heavy. Slowly they fell shut and for once he gave in to the call of sleep, lulled by the low murmur of the movie and the warm body leaning into his side. 

Mokuba almost laughed out loud when he turned around again to take another peek at his brother and their surprise guest. Katsuya, in his sleep, had cuddled right up to Seto's side, his head comfortably placed on the other's shoulder. Seto's own head had fallen to the side and was now resting gently on the top of Katsuya's. Too cute! It was a very rare sight and not one that Mokuba wanted to disturb. Quietly, the preteen turned off the television and crept over to where the two older boys were sitting. He shut the laptop and gently took it from Seto's lap before silently exiting the room with a wide, mischievous grin. Now… where was his camera again? This was too good of an opportunity to miss… 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

"…And this is the swimming pool, but don't be expecting to use it. Dog hair tends to clog the filtration system." 

It was Sunday afternoon and surprisingly both rivalling teens had managed to survive the time spent together. There had been some close calls, of course, such as when Seto had woken up with Katsuya once again using him as a giant teddy bear. He had _not_ been too happy about that. Throughout the day there had been numerous arguments and insults traded but so far they had somehow refrained from throwing punches. It was a miracle really, since it was hard enough to be within sight of each other on a normal day without quarrelling much less be forced to spend every second of their time together. 

Seto had spent a few hours soon after sunrise catching up on some business at home until Katsuya and Mokuba ganged up on him and forced him to watch them play video games for the rest of the morning. Mokuba had even convinced his brother to join in a few times, much to Katsuya's amusement. It was strange watching the mighty, champion duelist and CEO of Kaiba Corp. play something as simple as simulated racing games or go around stomping enemies with a little Mario character. 

Now they were all standing around the edge of an Olympic-sized swimming pool in an enormous room, complete with a steam room and Jacuzzi, as the finale to Mokuba's ingenious idea of giving Katsuya a complete tour of the Kaiba mansion. Seto had resisted that at first too, insisting that the blond 'Mutt' was not going to be staying long enough to need to know where anything was. 

Katsuya couldn't help but be amazed at how large the mansion really was. It had so much in it despite only being occupied to two people. Servants, guest rooms, game rooms, a pool… He thought about his own tiny apartment with its very few filthy rooms. 

He had never really considered how different his and Seto's lives really were… 

"It's a good thing I don't shed then, ain't it?" The blond duelist muttered crossly without bothering to face the conceited young man at his side. Instead he stared down at the sparkling, clear pool water and wondered if it would be possible to successfully drown the CEO without going under himself. Damn leash. 

Mokuba rolled his eyes at them in exasperation, "Can't you two just stop fighting for five minutes? This is getting old, you know?" 

While Katsuya just snorted and sullenly looked away, Seto reached over and ruffled his brother's unruly black hair, "Don't you have some homework to finish?" 

"Nope," the boy stuck his tongue out at his brother, "I finished it all yesterday just like I promised you I would. So there." 

Katsuya glanced over at them just in time to catch a faintly amused smile on the older sibling's face. It was odd seeing such an expression on him. It reminded Katsuya that Seto really might have a human side to him after all, even if it did only ever come out around his little brother. 

"Well, I need to speak to Jounouchi alone for a while," Seto said, ignoring the other's sudden sharp look, "So if you could find something to do until we're done, we will join you later." 

Mokuba seemed to think hard about this for a moment, as though wondering if it would be safe to leave the two of them alone for any amount of time, before he agreed, "Can I go visit the game shop then? Please? Yugi said they received a new shipment of cards yesterday! Some really cool ones!" 

Seto reluctantly gave him permission to go and they watched as Mokuba happily ran out of the room. There was a moment of silence before Katsuya's eyes narrowed dangerously, "I ain't talking to you about nothin', Moneybags." 

"Oh, I think we have a _lot_ to discuss, Mutt," the brunet chuckled humourlessly, "Especially about what happened yesterday." 

"There is _nothing_ to discuss, you fuckin' prick!" Katsuya snapped with a vicious glare, "_Especially_ wit' you!" 

Really, he wasn't surprised that Seto wanted talk about yesterday's discoveries. The shock was that it had taken this long for him to bring it up. The multi-millionaire duelist was not one to hesitate in exploiting another's weaknesses. This had been proven time and time again through the many encounters and duels Yugi-tachi had faced against Seto. 

The fact was, Katsuya felt ashamed that Seto had seen him freak out like that yesterday. He _hated_ showing any weakness to the cold-hearted bastard. He should never have gone home with Seto attached to him like this in the first place. Hiroto could have grabbed everything himself easily enough. But no… Katsuya just had to have been stubborn about it. 

Seto was probably ecstatic to discover Katsuya's darkest secret and see the blond act just like a helpless little puppy. It hurt to know that, no matter that it was to be expected. While Seto had always insulted him in the past, it had never been this personal before. 

Katsuya crossed his arms defensively as he felt Seto's eyes on him again. The brunet said quietly, "Now look here, Jounouchi, I have the right to know – " 

"You don't have the right to know anything about my life," Katsuya yelled, turning on Seto with fury in his eyes, "It doesn't concern you in any way, so you can jus' go screw yerself!" 

His hands were clenched tightly into fists as he glared ferociously at the presumptuous multi-millionaire. How dare he think he could stick his nose into Katsuya's problems?! Only Hiroto, the one person he would ever fully trust with his life, was allowed to do that! Nobody else was supposed to even know. _Nobody_. Especially not bloody Kaiba Seto. Just because his father treated him like a worthless piece of shit didn't mean he was going to let anyone else do the same. 

Narrow blue eyes caught his own and for a long while they remained locked in a fierce staring contest. The battle of wills ended when Seto smirked, "Fine, Koinu, have it your way for now. I may decide to pursue this later, however, just to determine how pathetic you really are." 

"Shit, you're really gettin' on my nerves, ya know that?" Katsuya snarled, unable to understand how _Kaiba's_ cutting remarks always got to him so badly, "How would ya like it if I decide to go nosin' around in your damn life, huh? You wanna talk 'bout my father? What about yours! What about your fucking step-father, eh?! Maybe I'd like to clarify some rumors 'bout him too. Maybe I wanna know why your such a fuckin' cold-hearted son-of-a-bitch! You're so damn cold I'm surprised Mokuba even still bothers wit' ya. I bet he's jus' waiting for the moment he's old enough to leave your sorry ass far behind an' – " 

The punch was hard and fast, sending Katsuya flying off the pool deck. It took him a few minutes to realize what had happened as chilly water flooded his senses, surrounding him, choking him. His jaw throbbed painfully before numbing and the sharp tug at his neck indicated that Seto had consequently been pulled in with him. 

As the shock slowly wore off, he realized that his lungs were already starting to burn with the need for oxygen. Desperately he struggled for the surface, feeling the water churn around him as the other unlucky teen also swam up. Unfortunately they had been standing at the deep end of the pool when they fell in and so as Katsuya finally broke the surface, breathless and disoriented, he frantically grabbed onto the closest object to save him from sinking. 

"Dammit, M-mutt! Get… off of – " 

They slipped back under water for a horrifying moment before Seto managed to bring them up again, breathlessly treading water with no help from the gasping, panicking blond clinging tightly to his back. Without thinking, Katsuya wrapped his arms over the CEO's shoulders and waited to be swum back to shore. It wasn't as though they could separate far enough to comfortably swim on their own anyhow, so this seemed the most logical thing to do. Seto appeared more than capable to hold them both above water, especially since it was his fault they were there in the first place. 

When they reached the edge, Katsuya transferred his grip to the ledge and pulled himself up onto the pool deck before tiredly watching Seto do the same. The two young men sat in silence for a while, panting slightly as water dripped from their clothes and pooled around them. 

Pushing sopping wet bangs from his face, Katsuya sighed and gently touched the side of his face. There was definitely going to be a bruise there tomorrow. Damn, for such a skinny guy, Seto sure packed quite the punch. Now that was surprising. Weren't rich people supposed to be soft from all the lounging around they did and servants waiting on them? 

Suddenly he found himself on his back, head colliding painfully against the cement floor. Seto glared down at him, his face a frozen, emotionless mask, "Don't _ever_ speak about my brother like that again, you sorry excuse for a human being, or I'll do much worse than try to drown you." 

Katsuya gaped up at him, for once feeling that maybe he had gone a little too far with the unpredictable Kaiba. He hadn't meant to… well, okay, he had… Shit. Stupid temper of his always getting him in trouble. But then again, Seto had had no right to be prying into his life like that in the first place! 

"Okay, okay. Sorry!" The half-drowned blond finally said as he realized Seto's hands were slowly approaching his neck, "You keep yer nose outta my business and I'll keep mine outta yours, got it?" 

For a minute it didn't seem like Seto was going to agree. He gazed impassively into Katsuya's eyes, keeping his thoughts from showing on his face except for the almost invisible frown-line between his eyebrows. Katsuya just glared back, ready to continue their fight if need be, but finally the brunet shook his head and sat back, "We'll see, Mutt." 

Well, that was probably the best he was going to get, so Katsuya only rolled his eyes in response and sat up as well, "Whateva', Moneybags." 

They managed to work together for a few moments to stand up without choking one another. Then they slowly made their way towards the doors. 

"We're going to change," Seto deigned to inform his companion, "Though I have to admit, you wear the wet dog-look quite well." 

Katsuya, who had been wringing the water from part of his shirt, stared over at the smirking brunet in disbelief. Not that a sarcastic Seto was anything new but… _was_ that sarcasm? Maybe the untouchable CEO did have a sense of humour after all. Would wonders never cease? 

Grinning, Katsuya looked ahead again, deciding that trying to analyze Kaiba Seto's intentions was only going to get him one step closer to insanity, "Gee, thanks. You ain't lookin' so bad yourself!" 

Before Seto could reply, the other teen lowered his head and shook his shaggy, blond hair out, purposely spraying water everywhere. When he looked up again, he almost burst out laughing at Seto's incredulous stare. A few drops of water clung to the brunette's face, not that it made much of difference to his already soaked appearance, but it was the expression more than anything that caused the giggle to escape Katsuya's mouth. 

Blue eyes narrowed, "Dumb dog…" 

"What?" Katsuya grinned innocently, tugging them ahead slightly. He was just glad to get Seto's mind off of what had happened back at his apartment. More than anything, he did not want to discuss his unfortunate home-life with the manipulative Kaiba. Who knows what kind of trouble that would cause… 

Seto just gave him an unreadable look before leading them back to his room for a change of clothes, which was a good thing because Katsuya was still kind of overwhelmed by the vast size of the mansion and would have found it impossible to find anything without becoming lost. After they awkwardly changed, pointedly turning their backs on one another, they quietly sat on the edge of the large bed. 

"You do realize we have school tomorrow?" Seto asked, staring off across the room. 

Katsuya groaned, smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand, "Damn it! I forgot… Fuck, what're we gonna do about, well you know…?" 

The CEO glanced over at him for a moment before replying, "It is going to look a little odd, isn't it. Maybe nobody will notice." 

"What?! _Everybody_ will notice us! We aren't exactly the best of pals!" Katsuya loudly pointed out. Then he caught the amused spark in the other's eyes and realized Seto had only been kidding. No, wait… Sarcasm, that was it. Kaiba Seto did _not_ joke. At least, not that Katsuya had ever been aware of. 

"Thank you for pointing that out," Ah, now _there_ was the sarcasm, "So, we will just have to come up with a plausible explanation for our sudden refusal to be separated." 

He did _not_ like the sound of that one bit. If Seto were the one to come up with an idea, Katsuya would be sure to be left with the short end of the stick. Damn prick always seemed to be doing that! 

The famous Kaiba smirk was back, "Any suggestions?" 

"Uh… well…" Come on, think! Think! If Seto got his own way, there was no telling what he would be stuck doing, "Why don't you just… threaten everybody to keep 'em from questioning us?" 

"As gratifying as it is to have such confidence in my ability to scare people, I don't think that will keep them from talking for long. Besides, it is the principle and teachers that I'm more concerned with. With us bound like this, we are going to have to change our schedules so that we have the same classes together. Not to mention we'll have to move our desks closer together than is properly allowed," Seto unexpectedly frowned a bit, seeming deep in thought, "Damn… This is complicated. They are not going to let us have our way easily, that's for sure." 

Katsuya stared, just realizing how hard it really was going to be going anywhere in public like this, much less school, "But… but, you're fuckin' Kaiba Seto! I mean, why would they question your demands?" 

"What?" Seto looked at him momentarily, "You think I can just walk in and tell the principal that I'm changing all of his rules, with or without his permission?" 

Katsuya hesitantly nodded. 

The CEO snorted, "Right. If that was the case, do you really think I would be wasting my time in that damn school? I may have some liberties, because of my job and my money, but that doesn't allow me to completely undermine the principal's authority." 

"Oh… right," Katsuya sighed and closed his eyes, wishing he were anywhere but here discussing plans of going to school all buddy-buddy-like with Moneybags. Why, why, _why_ was this happening to him? 

Okay… think. Seto would still have some control over the principal and staff at the school. After all, Katsuya knew for a fact that they relied on the Kaiba Corporation's generous donations each year for the funding of things like new equipment, building wings and library books. If they could just come up with an excuse for Seto's new interest in keeping Katsuya close by his side at all times… 

No… Fuck no. That was _not_ going to work… but… Katsuya opened his eyes and reluctantly glanced over at Seto who was now glaring down at the carpet. Why did even his _own_ ideas leave him as the underdog? Oh well, sacrifices had to be made for the greater good, and all that… 

"Alright, Kaiba, I… I have an idea," Katsuya unenthusiastically informed the other. Seto didn't say anything, but merely raised a doubtful eyebrow. Ignoring this, the blond took a deep breath, "Okay, listen up then an' tell me it's a stupid idea when I'm finished…" 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

To Be Continued... 

_Underdog: 1. One that is expected to lose a contest or struggle, as in sports or politics_   
_ 2. One that is at a disadvantage_   


I'm so glad you're all enjoying my fic so far! It's nice to hear that my characters seem fairly in-character, and my plot is good! Thanks for the compliments, and if you have any major criticisms, ideas or questions, don't be afraid to write 'em!   
  
  
  
  



	5. Mea Culpa

**(A/N)** Ah... I'm back! It's been awhile, ne? Heh... yeah, between moving back to where my university is and getting used to a new house, new classes, and everything, it took a bit longer to get back to this. Of course, I've got a lot of homework to procrastinate on, so that might cause my chapters to come out a bit quicker (no promises though...). Anyway, to make up for the two month absence, this chapter is quite a few pages longer than the rest (mostly because I wasn't sure where to stop...) but hopefully it's not boring! And thank you very much for all your reviews! They make me so happy. 

**New Japanese Word: **Kouchou-sensei - Principal 

**Warnings**: future shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, you know...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU 

**Pairings**: Future Seto/Jou; maybe Honda/Otogi; haven't decided on any others yet. 

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas. 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

**Inescapable You**

Chapter 5: Mea Culpa   


There are very few things in life with the ability to shock a Kaiba speechless. And yet a certain well-known CEO sat at the table, coffee and newspaper forgotten in hand, staring with slightly larger eyes than usual at the teenager directly beside him. A hush had fallen over the room as Katsuya nervously fidgeted under two pairs of incredulous eyes. 

Finally Seto blinked and quietly set down his paper. He cleared his throat. 

"Excuse me?" 

The blond flushed slightly from all the attention, something Seto couldn't help noting with a tiny, subconscious smile. Tawny eyes fixed firmly on the smooth tabletop, Katsuya softly repeated himself, "I'm not hungry." 

"But… But Jounouchi, you're _always_ hungry!" Mokuba, who was halfway through his second bowl of cereal, gaped at the very un-Jou-like refusal of breakfast. Katsuya _never_ turned down free food, everybody knew that. 

Seto raised an eyebrow at this uncharacteristic behavior, absently taking a sip of his coffee. It was obvious that Katsuya was lying. He had seen the way the blond had eyed Mokuba's own breakfast when they had first entered the dining room. The whole 'I'm not hungry' spiel was complete and utter bullshit. Something else was bothering Katsuya. 

When Katsuya would not explain himself further, Seto decidedly reached for the box of cereal and slammed it down in front of the blond's bowl, causing the other two at the table to jump slightly. The plate of buttered toast met a similar fate. 

"Be a good doggy and eat your food," the irritated CEO sneered, reaching for his paper again. His morning routine had already been shot to hell, thanks to the damn 'Mutt' hanging off him. The rest of the day was bound to be just as bad, if not worse. He'd be damned if he had to put up with a starving, whining Jounouchi on top of it all. 

Katsuya, still having yet to touch his breakfast, was now staring at Seto, "Kaiba… I can't… I mean I…" 

"You what?" Seto snapped, his patience very quickly running thin, "Does our food not appeal to you? Perhaps you're just too used to eating out of the dumpster, is that it?" 

Taking a deep, calming breath, 'though his face had turned a brilliant shade of red, Katsuya said, "I won't be able to pay ya back for everything. All the food, gas money when we go out in that fancy car of yours, rent, an'… I dunno, everything you'll prob'ly charge me for at the end. I know yer not the kind to believe in charity an' all that, I don't have money like you do though! But you could never fucking understand that, could ya?!" 

Seto's eyes narrowed at the perplexing boy who was practically shaking with anger and humiliation. It had not even crossed his mind to keep track of Katsuya's expenses, much less make him pay any of it back once they separated. Which was strange because it made perfect sense to do so. Then again Seto had seen Katsuya's apartment and knew very well the Jounouchi's did not have money to spare. 

Suppressing an exasperated sigh, Seto calmly took the cereal box and poured its contents into the bowl. He added the milk and placed the spoon into a stunned Katsuya's hand. 

Waiting until Katsuya turned wide, questioning eyes to him, Seto said firmly, "Don't worry about the money. We can arrange something when the time comes." 

"But…" Katsuya started with a bewildered look, but finally just sighed when he realized Seto was dead serious and reluctantly nodded, "I guess so." 

"Good. Now eat. We're leaving in ten minutes, whether you're ready or not," Seto smirked, taking up his newspaper once again. It felt odd to be reassuring the second-rate duelist but Seto knew how important Katsuya's pride was to him. And for some reason it was becoming harder and harder to see that defeated, lost puppy-dog look on the boy's face. Seto sighed. 

_I must be going soft…_

"Um… Kaiba?" Katsuya's unusually quiet voice broke through his thoughts and he glanced sideways to see the other staring intently into the cereal bowl, "Why aren't you eating too?" 

Mokuba quickly spoke up as his big brother only blinked at the unexpected question, "Nii-sama just likes coffee for breakfast. It takes too long to eat anything else and he'd normally already have left for school twenty minutes ago!" 

"Really?" Katsuya seemed only partially surprised by this, "But what do ya do 'til classes start?" 

"Work," Seto replied simply before draining his mug. A quick glance at his watch told him it was time to start moving. Knowing his companion's attitude towards school, it would take them longer than it should to leave the house. 

"Oh," the blond shook his head in mock despair, also finishing up his breakfast, "Should have known. Well, let's go then." 

Seto nodded and together they stood up. At least they were starting to get used to synchronizing their movements, which was an improvement. The brunette glanced at his younger brother, "Gather your things and meet us at the limo." 

"Okay, 'Nii-sama!" Mokuba grinned brightly, stuffing one last bit of toast into his mouth before racing off towards his room. At least _someone_ was having a good morning. 

"So…" Katsuya's voice broke the silence that had fallen over the bedroom and Seto turned around as he finished buttoning his shirt, "D'ya think really think we can make this work?" 

Seto started to reply with his usual sarcasm but stopped short as he realized what was now in front of him. Katsuya had yet to pull on his uniform shirt, but the bathrobe was crumpled on the floor leaving the teenager bare from waist up. Thanks to the leash, the blond was so close he could see goosebumps on the lightly tanned skin from the cool bedroom air. Without thinking, Seto tilted his head slightly and studied the other's strangely intriguing back. He frowned as he took in the sight of pale scars running across the otherwise smooth skin. It wasn't right… 

Muscles shifted enticingly before white cloth veiled the sight, "Kaiba? Did you hear what I…?" Katsuya had turned, staring with confusion at Seto's odd expression before scowling suspiciously, "What'cha lookin' at?" 

Ignoring the last question entirely, Seto reached down for his briefcase and gestured for the other to follow as he started for the door, "Your idea was a fairly sound one and with the bit of tweaking we did last night as well as the papers I have drawn up there should be no problems with getting the school to fix our schedules." 

Apparently that bit of praise was enough to leave the blond in astonished silence, much to Seto's relief. They hurried down the stairs and out to the limo, only stopping to snatch up Katsuya's backpack from the living room. 

Once inside the expensive vehicle, Seto allowed himself to relax a bit and mentally prepare himself for the day. It was going to be different from most days, that was for sure. Ah well, as long as the pup kept quiet and let him handle the talking they should make it through just fine. 

They made a quick stop at Mokuba's school to drop the boy off before continuing towards their own destination. 

As they approached the school grounds, Seto finally decided the odd silence had gone on long enough. Usually a soundless Katsuya meant he was either sleeping or upset. Not the kind of upset where the blond would explode into an angry rant at the slightest push, but the worrying kind of upset. A little disturbed by this ability to analyze Katsuya's moods, Seto glanced over at the other teen only to meet scrutinizing golden-brown eyes. 

Seto raised an eyebrow at the other's peculiar expression, "What is it, Mutt?" 

"Well, I was just wondering…" Katsuya looked away, now avoiding Seto's gaze, "Why're you bein' so… well, I wouldn't say _nice_, exactly, but… not so creep-like, ya know?" 

"Can't say I do," Seto said, wondering where Katsuya was going with this. The dumb dog should be happy that Seto wasn't beating him to the ground every two minutes like he deserved. 

"Oh… well, nevermind," Katsuya laughed nervously, "Hey, what's this button do?" 

Seto was startled when Katsuya leaned across him to press one of the many switches on the control panel of the car door, but didn't protest. Instead he quietly observed as the blond happily played with the sunroof dial before figuring out how to turn on the small television that had previously gone unnoticed. As annoying as the pup was most of the time, the lively chatter and playfulness was somehow endearing to watch. 

With an inward sigh, Seto shook his head to scatter those unwanted thoughts and opened the door of the stopped limo, "We're here." 

"Aw, man…" Katsuya grumbled as he gave the television one last longing look before following the brunette out of the car, "I hate school." 

"Good for you," Seto replied, taking long strides towards the building, forcing the shorter blond to practically jog to keep up. The first bell had just rung as students crammed the hallways, some hurrying to get to their morning class while others loitered with their friends to prolong the bit of free time as much as possible. Nobody had time to pay any attention to the pair of rivals walking side-by-side towards the principal's office. 

The secretary seemed surprised to see the two of them entering together of their own free will. She blinked, then gave them a scolding frown, "Kaiba-san, Jounouchi-san, classes are starting. Is there something you need?" 

The two of them were definitely well known by all who worked in the office. Seto for obvious reasons, and Katsuya who managed to disrupt at least two lessons a week with his loud mouth therefore gaining himself trips to the principal and detentions. Giving the present secretary a condescending smirk, Seto said, "We are here to see Kouchou-sensei." 

"Well, I'm sure it can wait. Class is about to-" 

"No, it can't wait," Seto interrupted, already turning towards the door that lead to the principal's private office, "Is he here?" 

Flustered, the woman glared for a moment before remembering to whom she was speaking to, "Yes, Kaiba-san, but – " 

"Good. Come on, Mutt," he said, ignoring both the secretary's and Katsuya's frustrated grumbles. He opened the door without hesitation and stalked inside. His business face was firmly in place as they confronted the astonished man sitting behind the desk. 

The balding principal gave the pair a pained look, "Don't tell me you two have been in a fight this early in the morning. Just once I'd like to get through a week without seeing you in here." 

Katsuya snickered, sitting down with Seto in the chairs provided for them. 

"Kouchou-sensei," without further preamble, Seto placed his briefcase on the desk and snapped it open. He handed a thin folder over to the older man, "We are here to discuss a problem that has arisen over the weekend which will affect our schooling." 

"Oh really?" the man took the folder and opened it, slowly glancing over the contents, "What… Explain this, Kaiba-san." 

Seto smirked and leaned back in his chair, "As you can see, those papers are the rough schematics for a new project Kaiba Corporation has begun work on. In order to follow through with this project, however, we require a subject for informational and experimental purposes." 

"And Jounouchi-san is this, er, subject?" the principal skeptically eyed the papers again. 

"Precisely," Seto nodded as though it were the most obvious thing in the world for Katsuya to be working for him. 

The man turned an inquiring gaze to Katsuya, "You have fully agreed to this project, Jounouchi-san?" 

"Ah… well, y'see…" Katsuya shifted uncomfortably and scratched his head, "I need the money so...Yeah, totally voluntary and everything. And… and so I'm supposed to stay with Kaiba…" 

"Hence the problem," Seto continued easily, "According to the project, Jounouchi must remain within two feet of myself at all times. We could end up with inaccurate results otherwise." 

The principal still appeared suspicious but sighed as he caught the official signatures and Kaiba Corp's logo on the papers, "I cannot tell you how much I disagree with this, but as Kaiba-san's company has always been a significant contributor of much of the funding that goes into our school, I will go along with your little experiment for now." 

"Excellent," Seto said as though he had never doubted he would get his way, which he hadn't anyway, "Then I hope you will see to it that Jounouchi's schedule is changed to correspond with my own. The teachers will also have to be notified of these – " 

"Hey! Wait-a-minute," Katsuya cut in angrily, "What do you mean by changing _my_ schedule? Why can't we change yours?" 

"Because, _Mutt_, I'm in charge here and I say we change yours. Is that clear enough for you?" Seto explained, irritated, though not surprised, by Katsuya's rebellion. 

Katsuya glared right back, crossing his arms stubbornly, "No, it's not. Some of those courses you take are really advanced! You expect _me_ to keep up in something like precalculus and… an' all the others you're fucking taking? I _don't_ think so." 

"Well, you'll just have to learn then, won't you?" Seto sneered. Then, as Katsuya growled something unintelligible, Seto frowned and leaned back in his chair thoughtfully, "Hold on. How do you know what classes I'm in, aside from the ones we share?" 

He watched with interest as Katsuya blinked at the change of topic, a light blush settling across his features, "Oh… Um… Otogi. He's in some advanced crap too. 'Complains a lot that he only has the second highest score while you're in first." 

Satisfied with the reply, 'though still a little amazed that the blond had paid even that much attention to such details, Seto turned his attention back to the gaping principal, "Are we free to go, then?" 

The other man quickly nodded, "Yes, get to class. I'll make sure the schedules are changed. Just get out of my office!" 

"Thank you for being so… agreeable, Kouchou-sensei," Seto smirked, standing up with his sullen companion, "Let's go, Jounouchi." 

Katsuya was still muttering to himself as they walked out of the office and headed down the empty hall to their first class of the day. Fortunately it was one they shared along with Yuugi-tachi, therefore appeasing the blond somewhat as he looked forward to seeing his friends again. 

Every student turned to stare at them as they entered the classroom together, not used to seeing the established rivals do anything without a fight. Seto ignored them easily enough, used to the attention, and beckoned the questioning teacher over to briefly explain their lateness and the situation. Katsuya, who had noticeably gone silent at being seen following Kaiba around like a puppy, brightened suddenly when Hiroto and Yuugi enthusiastically yelled out greetings. 

"Oh… Go ahead then, I suppose," the teacher said after hearing out Seto. She still appeared mildly confused and suspicious, but seemed to take the fact that Seto and Katsuya were willingly side-by-side as proof that they were telling the truth. 

The whispers and giggles started when they walked over to two empty desks near the back and pushed them together. Seto took no notice of all the attention they were receiving but immediately pulled out his laptop after he and Katsuya sat down. There was a lot of work waiting to be done thanks to the damn leash distraction. 

The teacher quickly called the diverted class back to order and continued on with her lesson. Seto was so intent on his work, which incidentally had nothing to do with what was being taught at the moment, that he didn't notice Katsuya's casual peeks at the screen until the blond whispered, "Damn, now I owe Anzu four hundred yen." 

"What?" confused, Seto glanced at the other teen, "Why?" 

"'Cause I bet her that you only pretend to work on your laptop and really you're playin' solitaire all period," Katsuya explained with a sigh. He was idly doodling in the corner of his notebook, obviously not paying any more attention to the lesson than Seto was. 

Seto just grunted a reply, annoyed by the bet for some reason, and turned his attention back to his computer. The rest of the period continued fairly peacefully, with only one other distraction that involved a crumbled ball of paper smacking into his forehead and dropping onto his keyboard. It turned out to be a note for Katsuya who happily snatched it from Seto's hand despite the icy glare that came with it. 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

Katsuya sighed heavily as he watched the teacher's mouth move, not understanding half the words that flowed from it. Once again he was sitting next to Seto but now they were in one of those advanced classes he had been complaining about earlier. It was some sort of economics class, by the sounds of it, but as far as he was concerned it might as well have been some archaic language for all the sense it made. 

Given time, a lot of studying and even a bit of extra tutoring, he was sure he could figure out enough of what was being taught to pass the class. As it was, however, he had never taken anything like this before and was utterly lost from the very beginning. How did Kaiba deal with this business crap every fucking day of his life? It hurt Katsuya's head just thinking about it. 

With another bored groan, he dropped his head to the desk. It really wasn't fair. Just as he had finally managed to pull up his grades enough to get his father off his back, this had to happen. He could already see the big, fat 'F' gracing his report card for every new class he was taking. 

_Maybe Kaiba will help me enough to at least pass these damn classes. He owes me that much,_ Jounouchi rolled his head to the side to scowl at the genius beside him. Finding that he was being ignored, as usual, he gave up on the scowl and instead poked Seto in the side with his pencil, grinning when the brunette flinched slightly. Ooh… someone was ticklish! 

Katsuya met Seto's annoyed glare and whispered, "Hey, Moneybags? What's the teach' going on about?" 

Seto just sneered and turned back to his laptop, obviously deeming the question not worthy of a response. 

_Fine… be that way. See if I give a damn,_ Katsuya pouted, staring down at his blank notebook. The teacher was going on about some famous economist or other, someone of whom Katsuya had never heard of before and therefore was really not all that interested in taking notes on. He chewed thoughtfully on the end of his pen before finally deciding this lesson a complete waste of his time. 

"Does that thing have any games on it, Kaiba?" Katsuya asked, shifting closer to the brunette to take a better look at the screen. It had to at least have solitaire on it; all computers did as far as he knew! 

Seto stopped typing just long enough to shoot him a disdainful glare then promptly continued ignoring him. Apparently Seto was not the sharing type. Katsuya frowned, knowing he couldn't start a fight in the middle of class. Instead he edged even closer to Seto, hoping that by invading the other's personal space he would get the attention he deserved. And the laptop. 

Of course, being the stubborn jerk that he was, Seto somehow managed to pay no attention to Katsuya even as the blond leaned against him. Unperturbed by the lack of response, Katsuya tilted his head towards the other teen and whispered in his most heartbroken voice, "Kaiiiba, I'm booored… Pay attention to meeee…" 

Seto's fingers immediately halted and blue eyes blinked twice before the brunette turned his head to catch Katsuya's gaze. Surprised by this reaction, Katsuya froze and could only stare back at the searching look. 

Then Seto started laughing. 

Wide-eyed and speechless, Katsuya could only stare with an open mouth at what he was witnessing. All around them, students turned in their seats to gape in astonishment and even the teacher seemed to forget what she was doing as she openly stared at the scene, the chalk falling from her fingers to shatter on the floor. 

The normally arrogant, emotionless CEO was leaning forward in his desk, shaking with laughter quite different from his usual cold chuckles and sneers. The surprisingly warm, baritone sound coming from him now actually sounded like true pleasure. It sounded real… 

And then it was gone, as though someone had turned off a switch and sudden silence took over. Seto was looking back at Katsuya, a slight, lingering smile remaining on his face, "You really are just a puppy, Jounouchi." 

"Wha… But… I… Huh?" Katsuya felt himself flush as he tried to pull his incoherent thoughts together, feeling more confused and lost than he had ever been before. Kaiba Seto did _not_ laugh. He did _not_ smile. _Especially_ not at Jounouchi Katsuya, the 'second-rate duelist'. Finally he grasped onto the one thing he had understood, "I am _not_ a damn puppy!" 

Whispers around the classroom caught his attention as Seto just chuckled and said, "Whatever you say, Puppy-dog." 

"Fuck you," Katsuya growled half-heartedly, embarrassed to find that he had actually enjoyed listening to Seto laugh. At least, once he had gotten over the shock of it first. 

"Are you feeling alright, Kaiba-san?" the teacher's voice broke the staring contest and Katsuya suddenly realized that every eye in the room was focused on the two of them, "Do you need to see the nurse?" 

Without even looking up, Seto snapped his laptop shut and reached for his briefcase, "I apologize for disturbing your class but I must leave. Urgent business." 

He grabbed Katsuya's arm and pulled him to his feet, practically dragging the bewildered blond out the door. Excited whispers followed them out only to be cut off as the door slammed shut. Katsuya waited until they stormed into the bathroom before pulling his arm away, "What the hell was that all about?!" 

"You tell me, you stupid mutt!" Seto leant against the tiled wall, all traces of humor gone from his expression, "This is all your fault." 

"_My_ fault? What the fuck?" Katsuya shook his head in disbelief, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to stop himself from strangling the bastard in front of him. 

Still refusing to meet Katsuya's gaze, the CEO crossed his arms over his chest and scowled, "If _you_ didn't act like… like such a… a damn idiot all the time!" 

"Oh, so now I'm an idiot, am I? Is that a step up or down from a mutt?" Katsuya huffed, wondering what he had done to deserve being stuck with such a moody jerk like this, "An' jus' what the fuck is it that's my fault anyway?" 

Seto finally turned his head a bit to stare down at Katsuya with a slightly incredulous expression. Then he suddenly seemed to relax a bit, "Nevermind, Pup. Just forget about it." 

Biting back the usual reaction to the demeaning dog-term, Katsuya just sighed and slouched against the wall beside the brunette, wondering how they were ever going to survive being tied together for much longer when all they seemed to do was fight. It was getting on his nerves. And to think, this was only the third full day since Malik and Yami Bakura had decided to ruin his and Seto's lives. He was definitely going to have a talk with Yami Yuugi about not doing his job of working out the solution fast enough. 

"So… now what?" Katsuya muttered, unable to stand the uncomfortable silence any longer. He glanced up, catching sight of Seto's frowning profile and wondered if he had only dreamed of Seto laughing earlier. It was so surreal… 

After a moment, Seto appeared to shake away some deep thought and turned to meet his gaze, "Well, we have half an hour until our next class." 

"Yeah…" casting his eyes to the floor, Katsuya hesitated for a moment, thinking through what he was about to ask. Chances were that Seto would turn him down anyway but it hurt his pride more to ask in the first place. To seem like an idiot. And yet if he didn't… his father… "Hey, Kaiba?" 

"Hm?" he could still feel that absurdly direct gaze boring through the side of his head, as though trying to see right into his mind. 

"I… Well, since we have some time an' all," Katsuya took a deep breath, looking back up at Seto with purposefully widened, hopeful eyes, "Could ya, maybe, help me out with some stuff?" 

Seto raised an eyebrow, a hint of his usual smirk pulling at his mouth, "That depends. What 'stuff' are we talking about here?" 

"Er… ya know, school stuff," Katsuya clarified, grinning a little, "That economics crap the teach' was going on about earlier. An' whatever new classes I'm gonna hafta take. In case you didn't notice, I was kinda thrown in the middle of these without any preparation." 

Seto snorted softly, glancing at his watch before straightening up, "Fine. I suppose you have a point. We'll go to the library, then." 

Katsuya's grin widened as he pushed himself away from the wall and followed Seto out of the bathroom. He found it hard to remain angry when he was getting his way, despite the fact that studying was usually something placed at the bottom of his list of things to do. It didn't take them long to reach the library and they quickly found a quiet place to sit. Seto pulled out one of his textbooks and placed it in front of the blond. He started by explaining exactly what the point of the class was and went from there. 

Seto was a surprisingly good tutor and Katsuya soon found himself catching onto most of the concepts rather quickly. He was even able to correctly answer a lot of the easier study questions from early on in the lesson. Seto was obviously trying to explain things in a way that Katsuya could easily understand, something that the blond couldn't complain about and he was even grateful for all the help he was receiving. 

A half hour passed by quickly. And then another hour without their realization and suddenly the lunch bell was ringing, startling the two students from their books. Katsuya eagerly shut his notebook and the textbook he had been answering questions from, "Wow, I'm starving!" 

"No surprise there," Seto smirked, packing away his own things, "I'm impressed, Inu, I honestly didn't think you would be easy to tutor. You understood more than I expected." 

"Well, now you know I'm not stupid," Katsuya grumbled, shoving his pencils into his school bag. 

"I never thought you were," Seto said, looking up from his briefcase, "I do know, however, that you seem to be on the verge of failing most classes." 

"Oh…" fidgeting with the strap of his bag, Katsuya avoided the other's gaze. Why were they discussing this anyway? It really was none of Seto's business. He shook his head, deciding he didn't want to get into another fight on an empty stomach, "I… well, I've been tryin' to do better. Jus' don't have a lot of study time, ya know? I get together with Yuug' and Honda sometimes, an' they try to help me, but it's still hard to find the time." 

"Because of your father." 

Katsuya's eyes widened and he looked up with a hiss, his eyes narrowing again with barely suppressed rage. How _dare_ that fucking bastard? He had no right to bring that up! "…I'm hungry an' it's lunch. Let's go eat." 

"Fine," Seto snapped, looking upset for reasons Katsuya could not fathom. The two stormy teenagers shoved their way through the crowded hallway without a word but once they reached the lunchroom, another problem arose… 

"I am not sitting with that pathetic group, so you can just forget about it, Mongrel." 

"I _always_ eat with my _friends_, Rich-boy, so _you_ can just fucking do the same now!" Katsuya shouted over the noise in the cafeteria, refusing to budge even when the CEO had tried to forcefully yank him in the direction of a lone, empty table in the corner. There was no way he was going to sit alone with Seto at lunch, the one hour of the day he had actually been looking forward to. 

"Don't be stupid, Mutt," the brunette said as Katsuya stood his ground, "It would benefit no one for me to sit there." 

"What?!" Katsuya gaped for a moment, unable to believe what he was hearing, "What d'ya mean by that? It would _benefit_ everyone! I would get to sit with my friends! And Yuugi… he's always tryin' to get you to sit with us. He'd love it if you did now. And besides," he grinned, crossing his arms confidently, "You'd save 'em the move." 

Seto finally looked down at him with suspicion and contempt, "Excuse me?" 

"Well, yeah," Katsuya shrugged, "Honda and Yuug' would definitely come sit with us, seein' as they're my best pals. An' wherever Honda goes, Otogi seems to follow. I'm sure Anzu and Bakura will join us too, just for the heck of it. So there ya go, see my point now?" 

With a characteristic cold glare, the young CEO just turned on his heel and stormed towards Katsuya's usual table. The blond happily followed, hardly able to believe he was getting his way for second time that day. Seto must sure be off his game today. 

"Hey guys!" Katsuya cheerfully greeted everyone as he sat down and threw a friendly arm around Hiroto, leaning against him with exaggerated exhaustion, "Man, you won't _believe_ whatta crazy day it's been for me so far." 

"Hi Jounouchi-kun!" Yuugi smiled joyfully from the other side of the table, "Kaiba-san, it's good to see you again! I'm glad you decided to join us at our table." 

"Like I had a choice," Seto grumbled, pulling out his laptop along with his lunch. He turned his attention to his work, pointedly ignoring everyone else around him. 

Katsuya sniggered then stole a fry from the pointed-haired brunette beside him, popping it in his mouth before Hiroto could protest. As his friend playfully smacked him away, Katsuya suddenly felt as though someone was watching him in a not-so-friendly sort of way. His first assumption was that it was Seto, but the multi-millionaire was still paying no attention to anyone or anything but his laptop. When the blond looked across the table, however, he found himself meeting a pair of balefully glaring emerald-colored eyes. He paused, staring back at Otogi Ryuuji in confusion. 

He had never seen Otogi look at him in such a way before. Even back when the popular creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters had been practically their enemy and forced Katsuya to dress up in that horrible dog suit, he had only ever given Katsuya arrogant or mocking glares, nothing like this… hatred? Or was it something else? 

Otogi abruptly seemed to realize he was caught staring and quickly turned his head away, agitatedly twirling a lock of loose, ebony hair around his finger. Katsuya frowned, wondering if he should talk to the guy and find out what his problem was. It probably wasn't a big deal anyway, but still… 

"Jou! Pay attention, man." 

He was pulled out of his daze by a sharp prod in the ribs and tore his gaze away from the oddly-acting Otogi only to meet questioning hazel eyes, "What?" 

Hiroto shook his head with a good-natured grin, "I asked you where your lunch ran off to." 

"Oh…" having hoped that nobody would notice his lack of a meal, he realized now that his friends cared a little _too_ much to have let even something this insignificant pass by without comment. He shrugged, resting his chin casually on the palm of his hand, "Eh, not hungry today." 

The irritating typing noise from his other side paused. Seto had, actually, been paying more attention than he let on. Katsuya determinedly refused to look in his direction, however, instead staring down at the tabletop with a bored expression. 

"You're not hungry." Hiroto repeated skeptically and Katsuya knew that his friend was already thinking about offering the rest of his lunch. Of course, Katsuya wasn't about to accept that. 

"Nope! I had a big breakfast, ya know," Katsuya grinned reassuringly, scratching the back of his sheepishly as he quickly tried to think of a safer subject to talk about. 

Seto decided right then to interfere, "Funny, Mutt. Unless my hearing deceived me, I was sure the first thing you shouted when the lunch bell rang was, and I quote, 'Wow, I'm starving,'" 

"I… I was only… You jerk," Katsuya lowered his head, knowing his face was rapidly turning red with embarrassment at being caught lying in front of his friends. He could feel their concerned stares on him and he didn't like it one bit. 

"Jou-kun," Yuugi started, but Katsuya quickly cut him off. 

"I'm fine, Yuug'. Jus' leave me alone, all of you," he growled, his temper flaring as his stomach growled traitorously. It was bad enough that he couldn't just walk away to cool off without fighting the fucking arrogant Kaiba every step of the way, but have to sit there and accept their _pity_ or even worse, _charity_, was beyond acceptable. He didn't need it and he sure as hell didn't want it. 

"Seto better not be stopping you from buying lunch," Anzu threatened from her spot across from Yuugi, "Because if he is – " 

"He's _not_, okay?!" Katsuya interrupted, wishing they would just drop the damn subject already. It wasn't like it was the first time he had gone without lunch, so why were they making such a big deal of it now? He couldn't handle them worrying about him right now; he had enough on his mind as it was, "I'm really just not _hung_ –" 

"Oh, by the way," Seto calmly interrupted, tossing a bulging paper bag onto the table in front of the frustrated blond, "Mokuba informed the chef this morning that you will be staying with us." 

Everyone at the table quieted, staring first at Seto, who had turned back to his laptop without another word, and then at the paper lunch-bag. Katsuya was definitely just as shocked as the rest of them. Then he lifted his head to glare at the CEO, "What's _this_?" 

"I thought it was obvious, Mutt," the brunette replied without looking up, "In this world I believe they call it… lunch. Perhaps that small brain of yours cannot comprehend such a simple idea?" 

"Shut up," if there was one thing he truly hated, being called stupid was it. Resisting the urge to cram the paper bag down Seto's throat, he instead reached over and reluctantly opened it, ignoring the stares he was receiving from his friends. 

"Careful, there might be a bomb in there," Hiroto helpfully advised, giving the bag a suspicious look. 

"Come on, Kaiba wouldn't sink himself so low as to do something that's been done before," Ryuuji sniffed, before grinning over at Hiroto, "If anything, I bet there'll be some dog gag involved. It is for Jounouchi, after all." 

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Katsuya scowled, then glared down at what he had pulled out of the bag, "An' what the fuck is _this_?!" 

"Oh," Seto miraculously turned away from his laptop again, "I had that specially made for you. For being such a good puppy-dog. You can have it _after_ you've eaten your lunch." 

Hiroto and Ryuuji burst out laughing, unable to hold it in at the expression on their friend's face. Even Anzu, Yuugi and Ryou had to cover their mouths, as they couldn't help giggling at the sight. 

Katsuya blinked down at the bone-shaped biscuit in his hand, wondering whether or not Seto was actually serious. Ah, hell… Seto was _always_ serious. Well, when he wasn't being sarcastic. Either way, "Fuck you, Moneybags! You can take your fucking dog cookie and shove it up yer ass!" 

He threw the evil cookie back at Seto and sulkily dug in to the real part of his lunch. His friends, happy now that he was eating, returned to their own lunches and continued chatting about their plans for the week. He listened to them idly, adding in his two cents between bites. His concentration on the conversation was broken for a moment when movement from his other side caught his eye. As he glanced over he was surprised and confused to see Seto slipping the discarded cookie into his coat pocket. 

Weird… 

But it only held Katsuya's attention for a moment before he was pulled back into his friends' banter, forgetting the strange action for the time being. 

The rest of the day passed normally… well, as normally as it could be under the circumstances, and Katsuya was very relieved when the final bell rang. He couldn't believe he had gone an entire day in his rival's company, unable to even use the bathroom without being more than a couple of feet from the blue-eyed duelist. It was frustrating, not to mention embarrassing. 

By the end of the day, all kinds of rumors had sprung up among their fellow classmates. _Humiliating_ rumors. He shuddered to think back on how many times in the past few hours he had been asked about his sudden 'relationship' with his supposed hated enemy. And it would only get worse over the next few days after the students had had more time to dwell on it. Unfortunately, it appeared to be the hottest topic of the day. 

Jounouchi Katsuya and Kaiba Seto joined at the hip (almost literally). Refuse to be separated, even in class. They ate lunch together (_did you hear? Kaiba actually sat with other people today!_), went to the bathroom together, walked side-by-side _everywhere_! They couldn't be separated! 

Many students seemed to take it as a sign that the world was coming to an end. 

"Damn, Yuug', I don't know how I'm goin' to get through the rest of the week like this," Katsuya sighed as the three teens walked out the main doors. He tried very hard to ignore the ever present multi-millionaire, who was still rudely muttering about the disorganized chaos that was Katsuya's locker, "Hasn't Yami come up with a solution _yet_?" 

"Well… not really…" the shorter, tri-color-haired teenager mumbled, squinting as they stepped out into the sun, "I'm sorry Jou-kun! We've been trying, really! It's just… well, we went to ask Yami Bakura about it yesterday and… well, he said it was Malik's, uh, toy. So then we talked to _Malik_ but… he doesn't know anything about it either! At least, that's what he told us…" 

"What?! How can he not know _anything_ about this cursed piece of crap?" Katsuya snarled, "What'd he do? Find it layin' on the street or somethin' and spontaneously decide to throw it around our necks?!" 

"Um… something like that…" Yuugi laughed sheepishly, "But don't worry! We'll figure it out, I promise. Yami says he'll torture the information out of Malik if he has to… Uh, not that I'll let him go that far, of course, but it's the thought that counts, right?" 

Katsuya sighed, shaking his head in mock despair, "Sure, Yuug'. Whatever ya say." 

He was going to be stuck with Kaiba for_ever_ at this rate… 

"Say good-bye, Pup, I've got to get to the office." 

"Yeah, yeah," he rolled his eyes, "See ya tomorrow, Yuugi. Hopefully…" 

"Don't worry, Jou-kun, just think of this as an opportunity to get to know each other better. Maybe you two will become friends after all this," Yuugi, always the optimist, cheerfully called out as the two taller teens headed for the waiting limousine. 

Before Katsuya had a chance to fully comprehend what he had just heard, he was roughly shoved through the limo door to land on the comfortable leather-covered seats. Seto had quickly followed, slamming the door behind him and ordering the driver to move on. 

"Damn," the blond muttered, sitting up as the limo started down the street. He would've thought Seto was rich enough to afford some manners. Apparently not, though. Then he thought of something even more concerning, "Eh… Kaiba? I need to stop in at home." 

Apparently Seto had not been expecting this, "What?" 

"You heard me," Katsuya slouched down in his seat, not very excited by the prospect of facing his dad who had probably been wondering where he was this morning, "There's some things I need t'check on. And my father… well, he needs to know I won't be back for awhile… you know, so he doesn't call the police on me or somethin'." 

When he didn't receive a response he chanced a look at the other duelist and found Seto staring out the window, an odd expression upon his face, "Kaiba? 'You goin' to tell the driver or what?" 

"Why would…" Seto started then uncharacteristically hesitated, still looking out at the street rushing by them. He frowned, and then continued, "Do you think he would really care enough to call the police?" 

"What…?" Katsuya blinked, wondering if he had really just heard that stupid question. His eyes narrowed, realizing this was Kaiba's way of prying into his life again, "What kinda question is that? Of course he would!" 

Unreadable blue eyes finally met his own, "You truly believe that?" 

"I…" pulling away a little, feeling overwhelmed suddenly by the other's looming presence, Katsuya couldn't help but answer truthfully as he saw the seriousness on the brunette's face, "He… he would. At… at least after a while, when he realizes I'm not around to… The chores I mean, an'…" 

He could practically feel Seto's skepticism and wrapped his arms around his stomach defensively, hating the feeling of worthlessness he got whenever the condescending CEO looked at him in such a way, "He _does_ care, you bastard. He might not show it much but… but I _know_ he does!" 

"And the scars…?" 

"Fuck! You're still goin' on 'bout those?" Katsuya shook his head in disbelief, lowering his head further, "Shit… you think my old man did all of 'em? Yeah right… he's more the… the verbal type. He only gets real rough when I've deserved it. The rest are from fights with th'gangs and stuff. Honda's got his share of 'em too." 

Seto was quiet for a moment, much to Katsuya's relief, but then, as the car stopped at red light, he asked quietly, "Then why are you so afraid of him." 

The one question he had been hoping Seto would never ask. It was something he didn't want to answer. _Couldn't_ answer. Nobody could understand. Even Hiroto, his best friend and confidant, could only appreciate the situation so far. 

He felt so dirty… 

So useless… 

Guilty… 

His father forced him to face this every day, causing him to lose control of himself. But he deserved it… he really did. It was his fault. All his fault. Every word his father had ever said was true. 

"L… let me…" 

"What, Jounouchi?" 

"I-I'm goin' ta be… s-sick. Let m-me outta the car…" Katsuya groaned, hiding his face in his hands, his stomach lurching as he fought to keep himself under control. 

"You're what? Pull over, dammit!" Seto barked at the driver who promptly did as he was told, despite the angry sounds of horns blaring as they cut off several other vehicles, "Get out, before you're sick all over my car." 

They quickly crawled out of the limo and Seto led them directly to the closest alleyway. In the cool shade of the buildings, Katsuya warily leaned against one of the brick walls, still hunching over with his head kept low so as not to see the sneering look he knew would be on the brunette's face. For some reason, Seto refrained from his usual disparaging remarks, instead quietly leaning against the wall beside the blond. They remained there unmoving for a while, Katsuya just taking in deep, grateful breaths of fresh air. His arms were still wrapped tightly around his stomach, fingers clenching tightly at his sides as he shivered slightly with barely repressed emotion. How… how did that damn Kaiba always make him react like this? 

"Look at you…" 

Katsuya cringed slightly at what he thought was coming, recognizing the pitying words. He hated it… 

"Have you ever stood up for yourself against him in your life? Do you actually believe everything _he_ says?" 

It took a moment for the words to register, but when they did he just sighed, "What would you know? You'd agree with him anyway. It's all true." 

"Bull_shit_!" Seto snapped, causing the blond to gasp, his eyes widening at the other's heated tone, "What the hell's the matter with you? You're completely crazy if you think I would ever agree with that _simpleton_." 

Katsuya blinked slowly, considering for a moment that maybe Seto was trying to _help_ him. But then he shook his head and let out a quiet, reproachful laugh, "Right. Sure, Kaiba. You're such a fucking hypocrite, ya know that?! You… you can hurt me all ya want but when others… An' besides, ya know _nothin'_ about my fuckin' life! So don't even _try_ to tell _me_…" 

He trailed off, fighting back the urge to scream. His fingers were now digging painfully into his skin through his shirt, hard enough to bruise, but he didn't do anything to stop it. He turned his head to the side a bit, watching the entrance of the alleyway and the people hurrying past it on the street. He could still feel Seto beside him, something that was impossible to ignore, and he wished with all his heart that there were someway to just run away from the other. Run away from it all. 

Seto shifted beside him, "Jounouchi." 

The blond didn't respond, still staring across the alley. How could this be happening? To have a stupid breakdown in front of Kaiba Seto, of all people. How humiliating. What would happen now? Would Seto try to use it against him? Would he tell his friends? He hoped not… If Yuugi found out that he was having problems at home… Hell, Katsuya wouldn't be able to handle the concern… the pity. 

"_Jounouchi._" 

Katsuya lowered his head again, studying the dirty, broken pavement at his feet as he tiredly mumbled, "What, Kaiba?" 

"Look at me," the brunette commanded. When Katsuya refused once again to react, Seto reached over and wrapped his fingers firmly around the blond's chin, forcing the shorter teen to raise his head and face him, "_Look_ at me." 

Suddenly feeling too exhausted to argue, Katsuya slowly raised his eyes to meet Seto's. Their gazes locked and Katsuya was surprised not the see the usual smugness or hatred in those blue depths. They seemed… different. Not quite so cold. 

"K…Kaiba?" Katsuya stuttered, unsure of what was going on. He didn't think he liked the softer expression on Seto's face. It was too… abnormal. Too alien. 

Seto held his gaze for a moment longer with a whispered, "Yes?" 

"W-what… are you…?" 

A flicker of something Katsuya didn't have time to recognize passed through Seto's eyes, then they widened slightly and the CEO took a small step back. Katsuya watched in confusion as the other teen frowned and loosened his grip on the blond's face. The cold fingers seemed to linger on his cheek longer than necessary before the hand left his face completely and Seto had turned his back to him, "We're going home." 

Surprised, and still a bit dazed from the odd moment, Katsuya didn't move. He stared at the Seto's stiff back apprehensively, "Wh… what?" 

"Don't make me repeat myself. You can visit your house tomorrow," Seto crossed his arms, not looking back at the confused blond. 

"But…" Katsuya frowned, trying to understand, "I thought you had t'go in to the office?" 

"It can wait. I can do the necessary work at home." 

"Oh…" what the hell was wrong with Seto? Since when did he willingly miss work? It didn't make sense, "I guess so… But – " 

"I don't like my decisions questioned, Mutt," Seto snapped, turning on his heel to head for the street. Katsuya quickly followed, knowing he would just be dragged along by the neck otherwise. 

It wasn't until they were once again seated in the limo that Katsuya finally relaxed a bit, leaning comfortably against the back of the seat. Oddly enough he was feeling slightly better, even though nothing had been resolved. He glanced at Seto, who was staring straight ahead with an odd frown. 

"Hey," Katsuya said, prodding Seto out of his silent contemplation. Seto lifted his head but didn't reply. Katsuya grinned a little, trying to ease the tense atmosphere, "I'm not a 'Mutt'." 

Seto blinked and gave him a sharp look before he surprised Katsuya with an oddly relieved smirk, "Whatever you say, Pup," then he reached into his pocket and held something out to the other teen, "Here. You never did get your treat." 

Glaring at the dog biscuit, Katsuya growled, "I'm not eating that, ya jerk. I just told ya –" 

"It's chocolate chip," Seto's smirk deepened, wagging the cookie enticingly in front of the gaping blond. 

Katsuya stared, then unwillingly gave in to his greed and snatched the treat from Seto's hand. He glowered, daring the other to comment as he bit into it. Seto apparently valued his life and only watched silently as the cookie vanished with surprising speed. 

"I hate ya," the blond mumbled around a mouthful of crumbs. He didn't even know what had possessed him to take anything like that from _Kaiba_. But what the hell. It had tasted good at least. 

Seto, with a satisfied grin, just turned away and left Katsuya to his thoughts. The blond duelist sighed and leaned his head back again, closing his eyes for the rest of the ride to the mansion. He didn't even want to think about tomorrow. 

Seto was going to meet his father. Shit… How was he going to survive that? The two people who hated him more than anything in the world… Then again, maybe Seto didn't hate him so much anymore. He had sure been acting strange back in the alley. In fact, all day he had been a bit less of a bastard than usual. Maybe Seto was just having an off day and it meant nothing at all, but then again… 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

To be continued...__

_Mea Culpa: (MAY-uh KUL-puh, KOOL-puh) An expresssion from Catholic ritual that assigns blame to oneself. From Latin, meaning "my fault" or "my blame."___

Once again sorry about the wait... And thanks for all your patience and reviews! 

Oh yeah, one other thing I wanted to note is that I don't know enough about Japanese food, schooling and other customs to confidently write it into my fanfics. I've heard that in Japan, students remain in the same room for all classes but the teachers change. Again, I don't know enough about how it works, plus Canadian-styled schooling fits the fic better, so that's what I'm sticking with. The food will be Canadian, as well as some other things. Sorry about any inconvenience this may cause, but nobody's complained so far... so I'm guessing it doesn't really matter much anway, heh. 

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em!   
  
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	6. Feet of Clay

**(A/N): **ARGH!! I have to repost EVERYTHING! As some of you may or may not have noticed, this fic was deleted by because of the rating. I admit, it's my fault for not reading the guidelines properly and raising the rating to R because of language, but damn it! Couldn't they have given me a warning at least?? Oh well... I decided I may as well repost and continue writing it since I got so many good reviews (which I lost when they deleted this... -cries-) from all of you who read this.   
Anyway, sorry about the mess up and I hope you continue reading! The RATING IS NOW R, because of profanity for now, but I guess that means I'll be able to add some Limey stuff later on, right? Heh. Obviously no actual lemons (don't want to risk deletion again) since that's not allowed, but something more than kissing maybe, lol. 

**Warnings**: future shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, you know...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU 

**Pairings**: Future Seto/Jou; maybe Honda/Otogi; haven't decided on any others yet. 

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas. 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

**Inescapable You******

Chapter 6: Feet of Clay   


It was early morning, still dark out but Seto was finding it impossible to get back to sleep. The glowing, red digits of the alarm clock showed that there were still just about four hours left before it was time to get up for another day. That was a long time to be lying awake in bed, unable to move for fear of waking up the still unconscious teen snuggled up to his side. Yes, snuggled. It seemed the big, bad CEO was doomed to act the part of a giant, stuffed animal for the rest of his nights chained to Jounouchi Katsuya. 

At the moment though, his mind was elsewhere as he stared blindly into the darkness above him. The previous day's events and discoveries ran repeatedly through his head as he lay there, keeping him wide-awake. It wasn't these thoughts that had woken him up in the first place, however, but the disconcerting blond sharing his bed. A little while ago, Katsuya had started moving around in his sleep, agitatedly tossing and turning as though in the grips of a some unknown nightmare. His movement and incoherent mumbles had inevitably woken Seto, who had never been a very heavy sleeper in the first place. 

At first, Seto had been irritated at the disturbance and had to fight off the urge to just force the other awake. It was only when the sleeping teen started whimpering, his expression almost pleading, that Seto's irritation magically slipped away. It had been obvious back when they were getting ready for bed that Katsuya was stressing about his reactions that day and about the morning to come when he would be forced to drag Seto along to his apartment. His bad dreams were most likely the product of this, something that Seto could not very well scold him about without proving himself to be the heartless bastard everyone called him. 

Instead he had reluctantly reached out and laid a steady hand on the other's shoulder, wondering how he should go about waking Katsuya without causing the blond to yell at him so early in the morning. He had been extremely surprised, to say the least, when Katsuya calmed down somewhat at his touch. It was an even bigger shock when the shorter teen immediately turned over and flung an arm over Seto's stomach, nuzzling into his side as though seeking comfort in the young man he seemed to despise so much when awake. 

There didn't seem much of a point in awakening Katsuya after that. At least this way he was not making his usual racket. It was at this time that Seto realized he was unable to sink back into much needed slumber. His thoughts turned to Katsuya's strange, and admittedly disturbing, behavior on the way home from school yesterday. It was apparent he had hit a nerve when asking about the elder Jounouchi and Katsuya's fear of him. The boy had had a panic attack, for crying out loud. But Seto had been honestly curious about the way Katsuya was acting whenever faced with the question of his home life. 

Seto shifted a bit, trying to loosen the arm that was trapped under the other duelist, feeling it start to go numb from the weight. At the movement, Katsuya mumbled something unintelligible and unconsciously tightened his hold on the brunette, much to Seto's chagrin. He was definitely not used to sharing a bed, much less _cuddling_ in it. He snorted, feeling his face heat up slightly at how that thought would sound to the passing perverted mind. 

"Silly pup," Seto sighed into the darkness, relaxing again and almost smiling as he realized Katsuya was stubborn even in his sleep. He frowned, though, as he remembered the look in those normally fiery brown eyes as he peered into them in the alley the day before. He hadn't known exactly what he had been looking for at the time, but what he did see had disturbed him greatly. There was something in them he couldn't describe… just a feeling. A very bad feeling. One that brought back memories from his own dark times as a child. 

His troubled thoughts were scattered once again as he heard Katsuya whimper and bury his face in Seto's pajama top. His breathing had sped up a bit, growing erratic as his grip tightened on Seto, muscles tense with fear. 

Though he would never admit to any concern on the 'Mutt's' behalf, Seto felt it would be just plain cruel to lie there and let the other suffer needlessly. He brought a hand to Katsuya's head, hesitantly running his fingers through the surprisingly soft golden mop of hair, "Jounouchi?" 

Katsuya went still for a moment, his tense muscles relaxing slightly as he turned his head with a heavy sigh, "…S'not m'fault… not…" 

Seto's eyebrows drew together as he heard this, remembering what Hiroto had told him about Katsuya's feelings of guilt over everything that had happened in the past. The guilt had obviously been gnawing at the boy for years, growing worse and worse as time went by. And his father… well, apparently _he_ wasn't helping matters any. In fact, it sounded as though Jounouchi's father was more the instigator of this self-blame problem. 

But it doesn't matter, Seto firmly told himself. It was none of his concern what went on in Katsuya's life or what problems he may have. Even if it did keep bringing his own thoughts back to Gozaburo… 

"Damn it. I don't need this," Seto whispered angrily, lifting his hand off of Katsuya's head and instead shoving at the teen's shoulder, "Time to get off me, Mutt." When Katsuya only curled up closer to him in response, Seto decided enough was enough and roughly smacked the blond head. 

"M'up… no more, m'up," Katsuya slurred, seeming to cringe away from the brunette now, the grimace back on his face, "I'll make ya brea'fast inna sec…" 

"Thanks for the offer but I don't want to put my chef out of a job," Seto sarcastically replied, wondering if this was once again coming back to the way Katsuya's father treated him. It seemed like the blond was used to being smacked awake. Feeling his mood darken further at this thought, Seto grimly watched the other's large, honey-brown eyes sleepily blink open. 

It took Katsuya a few minutes to properly take in his surroundings and the young man in the bed with him, staring at the blue-eyed duelist with a dazed expression, "…Oh." Seto remained silent, glaring as Katsuya just sighed and rubbed his eyes, his mouth opening wide to let out a loud yawn, "Hm… what's the time?" 

"Quarter to five." 

"Nngh… Too early," Katsuya moaned, dropping his face into one of the giant, soft pillows, "S'not healthy…" 

Seto rolled his eyes before stretching his arms above his head, groaning a little as he felt stiffened muscles loosen, "Yes, well. It's not my fault you are just a lazy mongrel. I _might_ have let you sleep in a little longer but we need time before school to go to _your_ apartment." 

At the reminder, the body beside him visibly tensed and the tousled blond head raised a bit again, "We… don't have to. I mean, you probably would rather –" 

"I would _rather_ you get up with me so we can get dressed," Seto interrupted, refusing to let the other back down from this. Besides, Katsuya's father genuinely intrigued him now. He wanted, no, needed to see the man who had such a phenomenal impact on the seemingly independent, tough-acting boy. He also wanted to make sure he wasn't jumping to dangerous conclusions from Katsuya's obscure hints at his home-life. Not that he cared, of course. Simple curiosity, that's all it was. 

Katsuya appeared to be lost in thought during their early breakfast. He occasionally poked at his food, not actually eating much, and spent the time staring off into space with a small frown. Seto caught his gaze resting on Katsuya's face more than once and had to force himself to bring his eyes back to the newspaper in his hands, determinedly denying any feelings of concern for the unusual silence. He would find out the cause of it soon enough. 

The limo ride was just as silent and by the time they pulled up in front of the apartment building, Seto was ready to explode at Katsuya for this unnatural behavior. He didn't like the change and as strange as it sounded, he had to admit the blond's usual incessant prattle was preferable to this. As the car parked, he turned to glare at the companion that had been forced upon him, "Would you mind telling me what the hell is wrong with you." 

"Eh?" Katsuya's head snapped around, eyeing Seto as if just realizing the other was there. Without answering the question, the blond duelist glanced out the window with a depressing look on his face, "Oh… We're here, huh?" 

"_Yes_, Mutt, we are here," Seto snapped impatiently, reaching for the door handle, "Let's go get this over with. We're not staying long." 

They stepped out together, standing up to face the apartment complex. When Seto tried to start walking towards it, he was stopped by a tug on the leash. He looked back over his shoulder at the other teen who was staring at him apprehensively. Katsuya lowered his head, toeing an empty, crushed beer can on the sidewalk, "Uh… Kaiba? Jus'… jus' so ya know… I'm not usually allowed friends over when my dad's around." 

At this, Seto turned fully around to stand in front of the other boy. He crossed his arms, trying not to appear curious or caring about the other's obvious hesitance to bring him into his home, "It can't be helped. And, as I said, we're only going to stay a few minutes. Long enough to inform your father of our situation and grab anything else you may need while you're away from home. I'm sure he'll understand –" 

He was cut off by Katsuya's humorless chuckle, "Yeah… right. Understand. Fuck… maybe this is a bad idea. I'll just mail him a letter or somethin'." 

Taken aback slightly by the other's tone, Seto frowned and took the few short steps to close the distance between them. He grabbed Katsuya's arm, much to the blond's astonishment, and waited for the boy to look at him before saying, "I don't know what the hell is going on with you, Jounouchi, but I didn't come all the way out to this filthy place for nothing. _We_ are going to go in there, have a chat with your father if he's awake and _sober_ enough to listen, and then we're going to leave. Is that clear?" 

"You don't fucking get it, Kaiba!" Katsuya growled, trying to tug away. 

Seto held on tighter, forcing the shorter teen closer to him until they were practically nose-to-nose. He gritted his teeth, trying to control his temper, "I'm _trying_ to fucking get it, you idiot." 

Katsuya's eyes widened as he froze, forgetting about escaping from the brunette's grasp, "Wh-what? What'd you say?" 

Ignoring this, Seto straightened and glared down at the shocked teen in front of him, "And really, Pup. Do you actually think I would allow him to touch either of us?" 

He knew that that had to be what Katsuya was most worried about. Seto had no idea if his father was the violent sort but, depending on whether or not Katsuya was lying about those scars, it was a definite possibility. He meant what he said though. Even he wasn't cruel enough to stand by and watch _anybody_ beat up Katsuya. No matter how much he supposedly hated him. 

Fortunately, his words seemed to ease Katsuya's fears a little as the blond just sighed and nodded, "Fine." 

"Lead the way," Seto mockingly gestured towards the building and, with a dirty look in his direction, Katsuya stepped around him and started up the cement pathway. Following close behind, Seto glanced ahead at the building and realized with disgust that not much had changed since the last time he had been here. There was just as much garbage and weeds on the patchy lawn and just as much grime and stains on the outside of the deteriorating brick building. Not to mention the unsavory looking kids hanging around the front. 

He gave one leering teenager, who was precariously sitting on the entrance railing with a half-burnt cigarette in hand, a threatening glare as they passed, wondering if these were the sorts of people Katsuya normally hung out with. They all had sharp, watchful expressions and an unfriendly feel to them. Seto didn't dare let his guard down in this place, 'though Katsuya did not even give the others a second glance, obviously not seeing them as a danger. 

The elevator was broken, as it had been the last time, and instead they were forced to climb the few flights of stairs to the desired floor. On the last landing, however, Katsuya stopped and it took Seto a moment to make out the small figure leaning against the wall in the shadows. He glanced at the blond and saw a concerned expression on the teen's face. 

"Nozaki-chan, y'alright?" Katsuya asked, not moving from where he was. Seto decided it would be best for him to remain silent, leaving it to the blond to know what was going on. He hoped the conversation wouldn't take too long, though. He hated to smell of the place and they didn't have much time before they needed to get going to school. 

The kid, Nozaki, straightened in recognition of the voice, but remained out of what little light there was in the stairwell, "Yeah, fine, Jounouchi-san. Did ya run 'way, 'gin? Yer old man's been screamin' 'bout it." 

It was a girl, from the voice. Fairly young, too. Maybe around Mokuba's age. Seto frowned, crossing his harms over his chest as the thought made him feel a little uncomfortable. He didn't want to think of anybody like his little brother in a place like this. 

Katsuya shrugged uneasily, "Eh… he has, huh? Is he in right now?" 

"'Think so," the girl shrugged back, "'Came stormin' up awhile ago. Haven't seen 'im leave. Hey, who's yer boyfriend?" 

"Oh, uh," his shadowed face turned for a second in Seto's direction, "He's not my boyfriend," Seto could practically feel the other's blush and had to suppress a grin, "You locked outta your apartment?" 

"Nah. Just stayin' outta Ma's way for 'while." 

"Ah," Katsuya nodded as though that explained everything, "Well, Hattori-san's out front. Go hang with him for awhile. I told ya before, it's dangerous on the stairs." 

The girl nodded, already stepping towards the stairs to descend them, "'Kay. See y'around, Jounouchi-san." 

As she disappeared from view, Katsuya sighed and looked at the door that led into his hallway, noticeably avoiding Seto's eyes, "Her ma's into drugs." 

Not knowing what to say to this, Seto only raised an eyebrow, unsure of why he was being told this. He assumed most people in this part of the city were drug addicts. Katsuya seemed to take the silence for what it was and indicated that they should move on. As they slowly walked down the dimly lit hall to the door of the Jounouchi apartment, Seto studied Katsuya from the corner of his eye, "You never consumed drugs, Jounouchi?" 

He couldn't honestly imagine any friend of Yuugi's ever doing anything so disgusting but after seeing where Katsuya lived, he couldn't help but wonder. He was, however, strangely relieved when the other teen shook his head, "Nah, 'though I have t'admit, the thought did pass through my mind more than once in the past. Before Yuugi became my friend, ya know? But Honda kept me on the right track. He comes from a better family. Whenever things got too bad for me, he'd take me to his place and make me stay there 'til any thought of doing something I'd regret disappeared," here Katsuya grinned a little, his thoughts obviously lost in the past, "His mom's the best cook in th'world, let me tell ya. She's always tryin' to fatten me up whenever I'm there." 

They had stopped now in front of the closed door, but Katsuya had yet to touch the handle. Openly staring at him now, Seto couldn't help comparing his own life to what little he knew of Katsuya's. They were both so completely unalike and yet they each had their own important obstacles to overcome. He opened his mouth to say something, 'though he wasn't sure exactly what, but at that moment Katsuya snapped out of his daydream and opened the door with one last request, "Jus' stay quiet, for once, okay? Let me handle my dad." 

The apartment was quiet when they stepped in and they paused to listen for any signs of life within. Finally Katsuya sighed and resignedly called out, "Dad? Ya home?" 

"In here, boy," a low, rough voice answered him from another room. 

"Well, 'guess he's not dead drunk yet," Katsuya flashed Seto an uneasy grin, gesturing for him to follow quietly, "He still knows who I am." 

Seto blinked at this but refrained from comment. Apparently the blond teen was used to this so there wasn't much he could say to help in this situation. The out-of-place CEO took the time observe the unfamiliar surroundings as the other teenager led them through the short hallway to the living room. The walls were mostly bare, the dirty-colored wallpaper peeling or ripped off in many spots. They passed a couple of pictures crookedly hanging there and although he didn't have time to stop and study them, he was sure he vaguely recognized the young, brown-haired girl smiling in one of them. As they walked into the weakly lit room, Seto wrinkled his nose a bit at the smell. There was the distinct odor of old alcohol and… and _something_, though he was sure he didn't really want to know _what_. 

The small television was on and across from it, sprawled on an overstuffed, worn couch with a beer bottle in hand, was the man that Seto knew must be Katsuya's father. While there were some definite similarities, the resemblance between father and son only went so far. Jounouchi-san was a heavier set man for one thing, not really fat although he did have quite the potbelly, probably from all the liquor he consumed. He also appeared to be a bit taller than his 17-year-old son. 

His blood-shot eyes turned to them as they stood in the doorway, Seto remaining a little behind Katsuya so that he was hidden from immediate sight of the man. The sudden thought came unbidden to Seto's mind that he preferred the bright, golden-brown eyes of Katsuya to this man's, whose eyes were such a dark brown they almost appeared black. The teenage Jounouchi had his arms crossed defensively below his chest as his eyes avoided his father's accusing gaze, "Hey Dad, I… I'm back." 

The older man straightened and stood up with a grunt, scowling at his son, "Where've ya been, huh? You think I haven't noticed you've been missing? What'd you do, run away?" 

"No!" Katsuya quickly replied, nervously shaking his head, "I wouldn't run away. I've just been… uh, I mean I've…" he trailed off, lowering his head as though he knew that trying to make up excuses for his absence would be useless. 

Seto frowned as Katsuya's father continued to interrogate him while not letting his boy get a word in edgewise. And then there were the insults, the names that a father should definitely _not_ be calling his son. Every word that the man spat out caused the blond head to lower further and his back to tense, knuckles whitening as his fingers dug into his sides. And yet the boy didn't fight back, a fact that disturbed Seto more than anything else. Katsuya was not the sort to take such a verbal beating silently. Something he had proved many times in the past when he and Seto got into one of their traditional fights. 

He finally realized that Jounouchi-san had advanced towards his son, stopping only a couple of feet away. Seto remained still, allowing himself to fade into the shadows of hallway behind Katsuya, wanting to keep his presence a secret for a while longer. The older man was still glaring at Katsuya, "So? Are you goin' to explain why you've been avoidin' me, brat?" 

"I… I wasn't avoidin' ya, Dad, honest," Katsuya quickly replied, his eyes still on the floor. His entire body was tense and he looked as though he was trying to make himself as small as possible by hunching his shoulders and pressing his arms tighter around himself. 

"Don't lie to me," his father growled, "I don't put up with lying, you stupid boy." 

"I'm not! It's just… s-something came up. It's not my fault!" 

"Don't talk back to _me_, brat. 'You fuckin' –" 

"I'm stayin' at Kaiba's house!" Katsuya finally blurted out, much to Seto's relief. The atmosphere was so tense he was sure that any minute now the situation was going to take a turn for the worst. 

There was a small moment of silence where the older Jounouchi absorbed the boy's words. Then slowly, quietly, he asked, "What?" 

Seto's muscles involuntarily tensed as he heard the underlying threat in that one word. This was… familiar. The calm before the storm, so to speak. He was very aware that Katsuya's father was not going to like this new arrangement one bit. He could see Katsuya knew this as well. The blond flinched as the other man gave him an intimidating glare, but bravely repeated, "I… I hafta stay with K-Kaiba." 

"What're ya playin' at, boy? Who the fuck is Kaiba?" the man spat, taking another menacing step forward. Seto could hear Katsuya's breath hitch but was surprised when the other teen didn't try to retreat from his father. 

Finally feeling as though he had seen and heard enough, Seto decided it was time to take control of the situation and stepped out from the doorway, making his presence known. As Jounouchi-san's eyes grew wide with surprise at the sudden intrusion, Seto confidently crossed his arms over his chest and looked back at the man impassively. Beside him, Katsuya started and finally raised his eyes from his feet to glance up at the brunette. Seto easily ignored the other boy and instead nodded his head at the man across from them with almost mocking politeness, "I am Kaiba Seto. It is a… pleasure to meet you, Jounouchi-san." 

Both Jounouchi's blinked at him in shock, though for two different reasons, until Katsuya's father finally seemed to regain what little sense he had and growled at his son while keeping his eyes on the imposing guest, "What'd I tell ya 'bout inviting people over, _boy_?" 

"Er…" Katsuya's wide eyed gaze reluctantly switched from Seto to his father, "He… um… I… I didn't have a ch-choice." 

"The hell you didn't, you –" 

"Excuse me," Seto coldly cut in, wishing to get this done and over with as quickly as possible. He hated this disgusting place. He kept his face carefully void of expression, however, and said, "Your _son_ is telling the truth. And whether you like it or not, he has no choice but to stay with me for a while." He refrained from adding how much he wished it were otherwise. 

"Excuse me?" the older man daringly answered, 'though his eyes seemed to have a hard time meeting Seto's piercing gaze, "What gives _you_ the right to barge in here and tell me what _he_ is gonna do? Get the fuck outta here. Now!" 

Instead of replying, Seto snorted and turned his attention to the teenager beside him, "Are you finished, Jounouchi? Is there anything you need to pick up from your room?" 

Katsuya's startled gaze met his but before he could reply, his father angrily turned on him, "Don't you fuckin' dare walk out that door, you worthless piece of shit. 'You goin' t'leave me here alone, are ya? Act just like yer bitch of a mother? Is that it? Well?!   
Answer me, brat!" 

Seto watched in confusion as Katsuya's face paled, eyes darkening with too many emotions for the CEO to sort out. He was almost afraid the shorter boy was about to faint, but the blond just looked away, towards his father, before lowering his head. Suddenly, Seto realized what was likely happening. The son-of-a-bitch was trying to use Katsuya's feelings of shame and guilt against him! 

"N-no… I… I'm not like her… I'm not…" Katsuya mumbled, more to himself than his father, "I'm goin' t-to come back…" 

"'The fuck you will!" Jounouchi-san yelled, "You think I believe that? First you drive _them_ away and now you're leavin' too! D'ya like hurtin' me like this? Do you?" 

"No! D-dad, it's not like that… I'm s-sorry! B-but… I… I can't… h-help it," Katsuya was shivering now, shaking his head in denial as he unsuccessfully tried to explain. Seto knew he had to stop this before Katsuya gave in, especially since there truly wasn't a choice in the matter with the collar and leash holding them together. 

"Shut up," Seto snapped, surprising even himself with the amount of vehemence in his voice, but he only narrowed his eyes at the idiotic man in front of him and continued, "I do not believe you have any say in the situation, Jounouchi-san. It is beyond anyone's control at the moment. But I assure it is _not_ permanent and –" 

"Get outta my apartment," the man growled, unwisely interrupting Seto. Unused to _anybody_ disregarding him in such a way, Kaiba furiously glared at the unwitting man. Before he could let his temper get the best of him, however, Jounouchi-san reached out and grabbed his son's arm with surprising speed, "And _you're_ not going anywhere but your room, you useless little fuck." 

Before either boy could stop him, he tugged Katsuya forward, obviously intent on dragging him away from the brunette. The younger blond let out a small cry of surprise as he lost his balance and stumbled towards his father, consequently choking both him and Seto on their collars. Seto gritted his teeth against the small wave of pain, taking a step forward to relieve the pressure. He glanced at Katsuya, realizing it was probably even more painful for the other teen whose throat was most likely still bruised from previous strangling episodes. Sure enough, the blond's eyes were shut tight, his face contorted in an agonizing grimace and his free hand at his throat as though trying to stem the pain. 

Katsuya's father had felt the resistance and was staring at them in wary confusion, "What the fuck was that?" 

At the sound of the man's voice, Katsuya whimpered something incoherent and tried to pull away, only to cringe as the grip around his arm tightened. Unexpected rage welled up inside of Seto at the sight and before he could think about what he was doing, he rushed forward and grabbed the wrist of the hand clutching Katusya's arm. With a heated snarl, he squeezed almost hard enough to snap the bones, forcing Jounouchi-san to open his fist with a startled yelp. 

"Touch him again like that and I'll do more than bruise your wrist," Seto growled, stepping menacingly between the two Jounouchi's and glaring down at the shocked man, "And if you try anything more to detain us here, I'll have the police here faster than you can beg for mercy." 

Turning his back to the gaping father, Seto found Katsuya staring up at him with a mix of confusion and fear, "I believe it's time to leave, Jounouchi." 

But the blond didn't move, his eyes instead drifting over the CEO's shoulder to his dad. His hands and shoulders were trembling slightly and he seemed to be having a bit of trouble breathing. Seto frowned, still aware of the man at his back, "We're leaving now. Come on. We'll be late for school if we don't hurry." 

Katsuya slowly shook his head, a look of panic seeping into his expression, "I… I… D-dad?" 

Seto cast a suspicious glance over his shoulder, but Katsuya's father was apparently still cowed enough by the CEO's threat that he hadn't moved an inch. Satisfied, Seto looked back at the shivering teen, wondering how he should proceed from here. Katsuya's frightened expression told him it wasn't going to be easy to persuade the blond to just follow him out the door. With a resigned mental sigh, Seto hesitantly reached out and settled a hand on the other's shoulder, "What's wrong, Jounouchi? We can leave now. It's alright." 

As much as he hated Katsuya, he knew now was not the time for harsh words. At least, not until he understood what was going on in that confusing blond head. Katsuya flinched at the touch and tried to pull away, but Seto refused to let him, "I won't hurt you. But he will. Whatever is going on is not your fault, okay? Turn around and walk out." 

He knew his words probably meant little to Katsuya, who never had listened to him in the past, with good reason of course, and he wondered if he should just pick up the teen and force him to leave by carrying him out. Katsuya, who had finally stopped trying to escape Seto, closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself once again, "No… no… Shouldn't leave him. I can't… hurt him. N-not like… not a-again." 

"Damn it," Seto growled, becoming fed up with the entire situation. He had the sudden urge to call Honda and let the boy handle his best friend's apparent breakdown. But he squashed that idea almost instantly. No. He was in control here. He would take care of this. First, though, he had to get Katsuya out of here. Hopefully once the blond was away from his repulsive father, he'd come to his senses. 

-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

Katsuya was hardly aware of his surroundings, much less Seto standing in front of him. His body felt numb as guilty memories assaulted his mind. He couldn't leave his father here alone, he just _couldn't_. Not like his mother did. His mother who had left both of them behind to fend for themselves. And it was his fault, just as his father reminded him countless times in the years to follow the abandonment. If he had just been a better child, behaved properly, stayed out of his parents' way at all times. Most of the time he thought his father would probably still have his mother and sister if he had never been born at all to mess up their lives. 

His eyes opened and once again locked on his father's over the tall CEO's shoulder and he could see the resentment and warning burning in the older man's eyes. He felt the hurt well up inside of him at the sight, wondering vaguely what it would be like to have a dad who cared for him. But he shoved the thought away. A childhood fantasy, that's all it was. Something he wasn't worthy enough to ever have. 

Vaguely he could feel himself trembling, could still hear Seto talking to him, but he couldn't look away from the man that he was such a disappointment to, "D-dad, I'm s-sorry. Please… I'll be… I'll be b-back. Please…?" 

He could hear Seto growl something threatening but only watched his father scowl at him. Slightly unfocussed eyes from the alcohol he constantly drank glared balefully at him, "Ya think I'm gonna want you back after you've been fuckin' around with your _boyfriend_ here, you little fag?" 

Katsuya's breath caught in his throat as his father scathingly accused him of being… of being a fag. No… no, he couldn't think… Oh god… His father was the most prejudiced man on the face of this planet and now he thought his own son to be… The old man would never let this go. Not ever! 

"Jounouchi? We're leaving, Jounouchi, now. Even you don't deserve to listen to this crap." 

Still running the last words his father had spoken through his head, Katsuya barely felt the hands on his shoulders shoving him towards the door. He felt oddly detached from his surroundings but cold. God, was he cold. Like ice. Like Seto's eyes. Memories battered him as he fought for breath, unaware of being pushed through the front door into the dimly lit hallway. 

Mother: '_You're going to grow up to be just like your bastard of a _father_. I can't stand either of you!_' 

…and Shizuka: '_Big brother! Don't leave me! I love you, big brother!_' 

… and Father: '_You drove 'em away! They would still be here if it wasn't for you, useless bastard._' 

… and even Hiroto: '_It's not your fault, Jou. You shouldn't listen to _him_. You shouldn't let him do this to you… You deserve better._' 

It was his fault, it _was_. It was, it was, it… The panicked thoughts were cut off as sudden warmth enveloped him, driving away the frigid cold consuming his mind and body. Shocked by the unexpected feeling, Katsuya took a sharp gasp of air and slowly pushed away the mind-numbing fright. Unsure of what was happening, he clutched at the warmth, using it as a life-line to pull him back to awareness. 

There was the feeling of smooth fabric against his cheek and strong, firm arms wrapped tightly around his back. It confused him. Someone was hugging him but he couldn't remember anyone around at the moment who would actually do such a thing to him. A little frightened at the prospect of some stranger hugging him (definitely not a good thing in this part of the neighborhood), he slowly raised his head. When familiar cobalt blue eyes locked onto his own, he froze in shock, wondering if his mind was playing cruel tricks on him. 

After a few moments of stunned silence, Katsuya finally realized the other teen was waiting for him to speak. He gulped slightly, wondering if he should try pulling away from the other's arms. But… it was so warm. He unintentionally whimpered, still feeling light-headed as previous thoughts of his family flickered through his mind again, and tightened his hold on Seto's coat, "K-Kaib'?" 

He winced at the stutter, wondering if he was about to be shoved away now that he had spoken, but the taller brunette only continued to hold his gaze, "You were having a panic-attack." 

Well. That certainly didn't explain why _Kaiba_ was _hugging_ him. Katsuya sighed, confused as hell, but he managed to mutter, "Oh…" and tiredly leaned his head back against the CEO's chest. He felt the brunette tense at this but he wasn't shoved away, so he assumed it was alright. He just felt too drained to deal with anything right now. 

After a moment, Seto's arms tightened a bit around him, "Are you feeling better, now?" 

Katsuya frowned at the slight waver he was sure he had heard in the other's voice, but then dismissed it as a figment of his overstressed mind. He mumbled, "A little. Why… I mean why're you…" he couldn't help adding, but trailed off in confusion. Maybe it was a bad idea bringing up the fact that Seto was holding him. Certainly, his school rival wasn't doing this because he _cared_ or anything. That would just be weird. 

Seto, of course, would be the last to admit he had been worried about the blond's behavior, "It was the only way I could think of to calm you down. You could hardly walk, and I was afraid if I tried to carry you down the stairs we would end up falling down them instead." 

Oh. Katsuya frowned, running Seto's words through his mind as though trying to find some hidden meaning within them, but shortly gave up with a tired sigh. He reluctantly lifted his head again to take a look at their surroundings. He found they were sitting on the floor in the corner of the landing in the stairwell were they had earlier found the young girl. Then he realized he was actually sitting on Seto's _lap_, of all places. 

Blushing, Katsuya quickly pulled away, sliding off the brunette to the cold metal floor, "What… what th'hell?" 

For a minute, Seto only stared back at him. There was no expression on the brunette's face, but his eyes flashed with something unfamiliar to Katsuya. Then Seto frowned and shook his head, running a hand through his brown hair, "Oh hell…" 

"What?" Katsuya blinked, leaning towards Seto in an attempt to make out the other's expression in the shadowed corner. The normally stoic CEO was acting strange… 

Seto's head snapped up again but he seemed to have gotten himself under control, "Nothing, Pup. Can you stand on you own now?" 

"Yes," Katsuya snapped back, feeling insulted until he remembered how Seto hadn't made fun of him for needing comfort after facing his father and had held him until the panic resided. Feeling the heat building up in his face again, Katsuya turned his head away from the brunette with a softer, "I mean, I… I think so, anyway." 

Man, this was just all so confusing. Why was Seto trying to help him in the first place? Why wasn't he being his usual bastard self about everything? It wasn't right. It wasn't normal. And yet, Katsuya couldn't help but remember the warmth that had surrounded him in those few moments that he had been held within the other's arms. 

"Good," Seto replied after a moment, moving to stand up. Katsuya quickly followed, remembering the shortness of the leash. Together they rose and stood facing down the stairs. They avoided each other's gazes and carefully started down the metal steps, eager to get away from this place. 

It wasn't until they were halfway down that Katsuya again felt a sharp pang of guilt over leaving his father alone. He knew the old man wouldn't believe he was coming back. Maybe he would feel abandoned. First his wife and daughter, then his son leaving him.__

_Ya think I'm gonna want you back after you've been fuckin' around with your _boyfriend _here, you little fag_

Katsuya froze as the harsh, accusing words came back to him. No, his dad couldn't have meant them. He'd want him back. He wouldn't leave Katsuya homeless. He'd probably forget all about this after a few nights of drinking himself silly. Shaking his head, Katsuya realized Seto was staring at him and forced himself to take another step forward. He wouldn't think about this yet. Not until he had to. 

The rest of the journey to the car passed in silence. Katsuya kept waiting for Seto to interrogate him on what had gone on in his apartment but the CEO ignored him, his face unreadable. It wasn't until they were seated comfortably in the limousine that Seto spoke, ordering his driver to take them home. 

"Home?" Katsuya questioned from his huddled position on the leather seat, "But what about school?" 

"We're taking the day off," Seto told him, staring straight ahead with an uncharacteristically contemplative expression. 

Katsuya blinked, frowning at the CEO, "Yuug' and the others are gonna be worried if I don't show." 

"Don't be stupid," Seto snapped, still not looking at the blond, "It's not unusual for me to miss a day of school for work and they know we cannot separate. There's no need for them to worry." 

"I guess…" Katsuya said uncomfortably, wondering what was wrong with Seto. Maybe… maybe he was embarrassed to be with Katsuya now that he had seen how weak the blond really was. After seeing him breakdown like that. Then it suddenly hit him just how much Seto had seen of his life. Oh god… the CEO had seen and heard everything! Where he lived, the condition of his apartment, his father, and worst of all… how Katsuya was to blame for splitting apart his family. He had heard everything his father had said to Katsuya. 

Feeling tears of shame and humiliation well up in his eyes, Katsuya brought his knees to his chest and hid his face in them. He couldn't believe this. What if Seto told everyone? What if Yuugi and Anzu found out about this? Or Ryou and Otogi? They couldn't find out, they just couldn't. He'd never be able to face them again. They would pity him or hate him for being so weak. 

"P-please…" he wouldn't cry in front of Seto, he _wouldn't_ cry in front of Seto, "Don't tell any… anyone?" 

He felt Seto's attention turn to him again and wished he knew what was going on the brunette's head. He was probably laughing at him. Enjoying seeing Katsuya act the whimpering dog he had always called him. But when Seto did answer him, it was without insult or laughter, "It's not my business to tell, Jounouchi. And I won't tell on you, if you don't tell on me." 

Confused, Katsuya lifted his head to look at Seto and found the brunette smirking lightly at him. He stared, and it took him a moment to realize Seto was talking about how he had comforted him in the stairwell. _Held_ him. A wave of relief rolled over him as he gave the CEO a tiny smile, "Deal." 

"Good," Seto's smirk widened as he gave a satisfied nod and turned back to staring ahead. 

Katsuya, feeling happier and a little reckless, laughed a little and leaned his head against the taller teen's shoulder for the rest of the ride to the mansion. There was no doubt that something was changing between him and the CEO of Kaiba Corp, the man he was supposed to hate. He wasn't sure _what_, exactly, was changing, but he couldn't seem to find the old, bitter hatred within himself any longer. Not after Seto had helped him like that. He would never have expected Seto to stand up for him against his father or calm him down when he panicked. While Seto couldn't be considered a friend, yet, he no longer seemed to be the enemy either. 

"Kaiba?" 

"Hm?" 

"Thanks," Katsuya smiled, closing his eyes. It felt as though some of the weight had been lifted from his shoulders as they drove further away from the place he called home. He was finally able to relax, pushing thoughts of his father to the back of his mind for the moment. 

Seto shifted awkwardly and muttered, "Whatever, Pup." 

Katsuya's smile only widened at this, far from insulted at the moment, especially when he felt hesitant fingers gently brush the bangs from his face. It was weird being with Seto without fighting, but nice in a way. It might not last, and by tomorrow they would probably be back to yelling at and insulting each other, but for now he'd take this without complaint. 

-.-.-.-.-.- 

To be continued... 

_Feet of Clay: People are said to have "feet of clay" if they are revealed to have a weakness or flaw that most people were unaware of.___

Sorry again for not being on top of things and getting the fic deleted as a resault. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and want more (So much more I could do with this fic... hm.) And I'm open to any suggestions you may have. 

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em! 


	7. Tip of the Iceberg

**(A/N)** Wai!! I love you all so much! Your reviews make me so happy, they're very encouraging and filled with great ideas that I can use if I get stuck. It's great to know that people are actually enjoying this fic. And of course, they guilt me into writing more haha! Um... Not much to say right now… Except sorry for the wait again, exams have approached so it's been kind of hectic lately. Alright, shoo! Go on and read :-D

**Warnings**: future shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, etc...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU

**Pairings**: Future Seto/Jou; Honda/Otogi; (Others?).

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas.

-.-.-.-.-.-

**Inescapable You **

Chapter 7: Tip of the Iceberg 

_The fire in your eyes had vanished._

That was the first thought that had entered Seto's mind when he had turned to the young man shivering beside him on the landing of the stairwell. It was the only thought he had been able to process before some subconscious instinct took over and he found himself huddled in the corner with Jounouchi Katsuya in his lap. His school rival was wrapped tightly in his arms but for some reason he had found that he couldn't find it within himself to let go. He had seen the familiar chilly darkness replacing the light in those wide, brown eyes at the father's departing words and he didn't like it one bit.

So he had sat there, on the cold metal landing, silently trying to bring the warmth back into the one he normally despised. And when Katsuya had finally opened his eyes and gazed up at him, it was all he could do to keep the relief from showing in his expression. He had been surprised when the blond teen hadn't immediately jumped away from him but decided he really didn't care for the reason at the moment. And when Katsuya had tried to ask _why_ he was being held by Seto, the thought returned to him.

_The fire in your eyes had vanished_.

_They reminded me too much of my own._

But all he said was, "It was the only way I could think of to calm you down. You could hardly walk, and I was afraid if I tried to carry you down the stairs we would end up falling down them instead."

It wasn't the entire truth but there was no way he could ever tell Katsuya the real reason. The other would never have believed him anyway. _He_ didn't believe himself. It was stupid. Damn near insane. But as hard as he tried, he found it impossible to stop the image of darkened, cold brown eyes from haunting his mind.

Holding back a shiver at the thought, Seto reached down to where his briefcase was resting on the floor and took out his laptop. They would be reaching his estate soon, but he needed something to keep his mind occupied and checking his schedule for the week would help him to do so. As he settled the favored possession on his lap and waited for it to boot up, he felt the weight on his shoulder shift a little. He determinedly ignored the soft tickle of blond hairs against his neck.

"Don't ya ever get tired of work?" Katsuya mumbled, still leaning against him in a most disconcerting way. He _must_ be insane to allow the damn dog to touch him this way without complaint.

Seto only scowled in response, punching a few keys with unnecessary force, and pulled up the agenda. His frown deepened as he glared at the computer screen. What kind of question was that anyway? 'Do I ever get tired of work,' Seto repeated sarcastically in his thoughts. Did it matter whether or not he did? No. Not when his job was CEO of Kaiba Corp. There was no time to tire of the workload if he wanted to keep his company ahead of the competition. To be the best.

"Hey…" Katsuya once again interrupted his thoughts, "What's that? You have something goin' on this evening?"

Seto glanced at the part of the screen that Katsuya was pointing to. Oh… wonderful. He glared for a bit, stalling as he mulled over the consequences of missing just one of those numerous board meetings, but in the end decided he didn't want to risk leaving any decisions to those idiots who worked under him. They would probably end up calling him with frantic, inane questions just to aggravate him further anyway.

"Meeting with the board of directors at five," the young CEO muttered in answer to his companion's question.

"Meetings… Ugh, I forgot that's part of your job," Katsuya groaned, sliding a bit further down in the seat, "An' I suppose you're goin' to be dragging me along, huh?"

"Unfortunately," Seto replied with a grimace. Great. Dragging the hyperactive mutt to one of those meetings equaled disaster in his mind. It would probably take all of two seconds for the blond's short attention span to kick in with the boredom. There was no way Katsuya would be able to remain quiet and motionless for the two or three hours that the meeting would take.

"Well, it can't be all that bad, right? You just march in there all high and mighty like, an' tell 'em all they suck and you expect better and t'get back to work before you fire 'em all. That should take… what? Ten minutes? Maybe fifteen?" Katsuya was sounding more hopeful by the second.

"Try a few hours," Seto smirked, his eyes still on the computer screen. His mood lifted a little as he practically felt Katsuya's face fall. There was no better feeling in the world than the satisfaction of taunting the blond puppy-like teen. As long as _he_ was the one doing the taunting. That worthless bastard of a father had had no right hurting Katsuya that way.

Damn. There was that feeling again. The same one as when he was holding Katsuya after leaving the apartment. He shook his head slightly, trying to dispel the feeling of protectiveness and… something else. Something he absolutely refused to even dwell on, much less admit to.

'You must be strong to get anywhere in this world, Seto. Listen to your head, not your heart. _Feelings_ only get in the way. They are a weakness you cannot afford to have, especially if you are to one day take my place at the head of this company…'

"Hours? _Hours_? I never thought it'd be possible, but I think these meetings sound worse than _school_!" Katsuya complained, thankfully driving the memory of that hateful voice from the brunette's head, "Hn, 'guess I have no choice though. It's probably important for your company, huh?"

The way Katsuya gave up whining about the meeting just because he thought it was important for Seto's job surprised the brunette enough to turn his attention away from the computer. He glanced at what he could see of the blond head from the corner of his eye but decided not to question the other's sudden thoughtfulness. Instead he closed his laptop and put it away without a word. A look out the tinted window told him they were just pulling up to the front of the estate.

Katsuya also noticed and sat up, waiting impatiently for the driver to come around and open the door for them when Seto refused to move beforehand, "So, what're we goin' to do for the day? And it's gotta be something fun if ya want me to be good this evening."

Seto rolled his eyes at the blond teen's ultimatum, wondering if anything would be enough to keep him quiet for more than a few minutes, "Television, then?" That would keep Katsuya occupied for a while and still allow himself to work with his laptop in peace.

Katsuya had other ideas, however, "Nah. We'll do that later. You'll just do boring work, anyway."

"That was the point," Seto muttered, opening the door to the mansion and leading them inside.

Ignoring the comment, Katsuya kicked off his shoes and tapped his chin with one finger, "How 'bout… Oh! I know! I wanna try out your swimming pool. I've never been in a private pool like that before! Well… at least, not counting when we almost drowned in it the other day."

Seto raised an eyebrow at his companion, wondering if the other had forgotten just what kind of predicament they were in at the moment. Namely the inability to separate more than a couple of feet. He shook his head, "I don't think…"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Kaiba," Katsuya cut him off, crossing his arms stubbornly, "It'll be _fun_. And if you don't know what that means, well that's your loss."

Seto was about to crossly remind the other just who's home they were in and refuse to go anywhere near the pool, just to prove that he was the one in control here, but then another thought came to him. Perhaps Katsuya didn't want to just sit around in front of the TV because it would be too easy for his mind to wander back to thoughts of his father. He needed something more to occupy him and keep the memories locked away for a little longer. As much as Seto hated to do things just for the _fun_ of it, he heard himself tell Katsuya to follow him upstairs to find him some swimwear. There was no real reason for him to give in to Katsuya's wishes but for some reason he couldn't refuse any longer. Not after remembering the state the blond had been in after leaving that apartment.

No, he had to stop thinking like this. He didn't care. Katsuya's problems had nothing to do with him and after they figured out a way to release themselves from this cursed attachment he wouldn't have to deal with Katsuya at all ever again. In fact, it might be better if he stayed away from the other boy all together after this.

"Er… Kaiba?"

Seto shook himself from his thoughts and saw that they had reached his bedroom door. He unlocked it and went in, ignoring the other's questioning stare, and opened one of the drawers to his large dresser. It took him a moment to find an older pair of swim trunks that looked like they would fit Katsuya's smaller figure. He turned to the other, holding the shorts out, only to find Katsuya studying one of the framed photos sitting on top of the dresser.

"Is that you?" Katsuya asked, pointing to the photo in which a young, brown-haired boy glared sullenly at the camera. Seto grunted an affirmative and Katsuya grinned, "Wow, I could never picture you as a kid. Man, you had the same dorky haircut even back then. No wonder you don't look happy there."

Glancing again at the photo that he rarely ever looked at on his own, Seto remembered it wasn't the haircut that had had him in such a foul mood that day. It had been Gozaburo. Another humiliating lesson from his stepfather had finally made him realize that although he had outsmarted the old man in that one game of chess, changing his future forever, he would never again be able to have that kind of control over his life. Forcing his face to remain blank, all he said was, "Dorky haircut?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, it looks fine on you now, I guess. But it would make any little kid just look stuck up," Katsuya snickered, leaning forward to take a closer look at the photo, "You did look kinda cute though, even with the evil expression."

Cute? Seto blinked, wondering if he had heard right. He couldn't remember anyone ever using that particular word in connection to himself before. He frowned and decided it was time to divert Katsuya's attention, "Here, change into these."

Katsuya blinked down at the pair of blue and green swim trunks held out to him before warily taking them into his own hands, "These're yours?"

Stupid questions did not deserve to be answered and therefore Seto just turned away to find his own pair of swim shorts. They changed in the bedroom, careful to avoid looking at one another while doing so. It still felt awkward and strange to be doing every little thing with Katsuya always at his side. It was, perhaps, not quite as terrible as he first thought it would be. It had, at least, forced him to gain a slightly different perspective on the blond. He wondered what other surprises were in store for him as a result of this predicament.

A little while later Seto found himself sitting on the ledge of his large, indoor pool. Katsuya was beside him, kicking his feet excitedly in the water as he gazed around in awe as though he hadn't already seen the place awhile back. Seto watched the other teen from the corner of his eye, satisfied to see the old grin back in place. Then the brunette frowned and peered down at the clear water, wishing he knew why he cared whether or not Katsuya appeared happy. It had never concerned him before, but it seemed that it was becoming difficult to pretend indifference or loathing any longer.

Why?

What had changed?

"Think fast, Moneybags!"

A second later he felt a hard shove and was plunged into the cool water before he could do anything to keep his balance. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened. Angry, and choking on water, he swam back up to the surface, not surprised when a sopping golden-haired head emerged from the water beside him. Treading water, Seto glared at the sheepishly grinning teenager in front of him, "That wasn't funny, Fleabag. I could have drowned with this damn collar around my neck."

"Aw, c'mon," Katsuya laughed, splashing a bit of water at the seething CEO, "Ya need to get a sense of humor, ya know that?"

"And _you_ need to get a brain," Seto replied icily, reaching out to grab the ledge again. He wanted to get up and out of the pool but he knew he would need Katsuya's cooperation for that, which he was unlikely to receive any time soon. What was the point of them in the pool anyway? It wasn't as though they could do laps, being so close together, and he didn't ever do anything _but_ swim laps in a pool.

Katsuya just shook his head and grinned some more, reaching out to grab Seto's wrist and tug him away from the edge, "Let's just float around for a bit, okay? I've never had a pool all to myself before. I think it's great! Maybe one day, when I'm rich, I'll get one of these babies in my own giant mansion."

Seto rolled his eyes at the delusional boy but pushed away from the ledge anyway, smirking when Katsuya was pulled along with him. After gaining another face full of water, compliments of a certain vengeful Jounouchi, Seto resumed treading, watching as Katsuya leaned back in the water to float. They were quiet for a while with only the light lapping of water echoing through the room. Seto found he couldn't take his eyes off of the relaxed blond beside him. Katsuya had closed his eyes, still floating on his back with a small dreamy smile fixed on his face. Seto couldn't remember ever seeing Katsuya so tranquil before and he found it a little disturbing that he kind of enjoyed seeing it now.

Something _had_ changed. Something was different now.

Desperate to divert his thoughts from where they seemed to be headed, he broke the silence with a question, "How are you planning on becoming rich?"

Startled, Katsuya cracked open an eye to look up at Seto. When he realized he had indeed heard correctly and that Seto was returning his gaze, he frowned a little, "Oh… uh, 'don't really have a plan. It never could happen anyway. I was jus' fantasizing, is all."

"Hn," Seto looked away finally, wondering when Katsuya would become tired of the water. Weary of treading, the tall brunette slowly leaned back as well and stared up at the ceiling. He did not want to dwell on the disquieting blond any more. It wasn't like him to become so obsessed with such a second-rate duelist, someone below his usual high standards. Someone like Jounouchi Katsuya.

Obsessed? Was that it? Was he obsessed with Katsuya? It seemed he couldn't remember a time, ever since entering high school, that he hadn't been troubled by the young blond's presence. He had always felt the need to harass Katsuya, tease him, mock him. To be noticed by him.

Damn it. This was _not_ good. He did not need this… this… whatever the hell it was.

Submerging his head under the water, he took a moment to clear his mind. The water pressed gently around him as he remained under it for as long as he could. He needed to stop this nonsense. It wasn't like him. He only cared about three things in this world and those were Mokuba, dueling and his company. He did _not_ care for bothersome, mediocre little mutts.

His air supply eventually ran out, forcing him to raise his head out of the water again, taking in deep breaths of air as he did so. Katsuya was staring at him now with a perplexed expression, "You okay there, Kaiba?"

Why was his _rival_ asking him how he felt as though it really mattered to him? Seto gritted his teeth and shot the other teen an annoyed look. He reached out and placed a hand on Katsuya's head, pushing down hard to dunk it under the water. He allowed his frown to transform into a confident smirk as Katsuya came back up sputtering and coughing up water. This was more like it. Him harassing the mutt. Normality.

He didn't like change unless _he_ was the one controlling it.

Seto was abruptly graced with an armful of wet Katsuya and they both submerged together, kicking and shoving at one another in the process. The surprise attack soon turned into a full scale wrestling match as the pair of stubborn teens tried to keep the other underwater. The entire thing was made more difficult by the fact that neither could pull away very far from his opponent, giving little chance for respite.

Katsuya's war cries filled the large room along with Seto's triumphant shouts and insults. Water flew everywhere, soaking the floor along side the pool. This continued for about another half hour until finally they called a truce and wearily swam over to the ledge, panting and coughing breathlessly. As they pulled themselves up to collapse on the floor beside the swimming pool, Seto closed his eyes and tried to regain his breath. He could not believe what he had just participated in. Acting as immature as that idiot Jounouchi. But it _had_ been… amusing… in a way.

"I so kicked your butt," Katsuya boasted once they stopped panting quite so hard. Seto blinked, then turned his head to catch a glimpse of the red-cheeked, grinning teen at his side. Katsuya's glistening, bare chest rose and fell with each breath, catching Seto's attention without him realizing it. Katsuya spoke again when he received no reply, "So you agree, then? Or did you jus' swallow so much water that your brain drowned?"

Seto jerked his eyes away, horrified that he had been staring at Katsuya like that. At Katsuya's _chest_. God… maybe he was coming down with something. That had to be it. Some sickness that was affecting his mentality. He sighed and closed his eyes, hoping to keep them from any further temptations, "Idiot."

He could practically hear the pout in the other's voice when Katsuya replied, "So you didn't have any fun at _all_?"

To Seto's own surprise, he felt his mouth twitch into a momentarily amused smile before he managed to regain control of himself again. Without responding to the question, he slowly sat up, allowing the blond time to do the same just in case the leash wasn't long enough. He avoided the sight of Katsuya's still dripping, half-naked body and instead glanced around the poolroom, spotting the towels where they had left them on one of the deckchairs.

"Let's go dry off, Jounouchi. It's lunch time," Seto started to push himself to his feet but was stopped when he realized Katsuya wasn't moving. Annoyed, he looked at the blond who only glared back at him with an expression caught somewhere between anger and bewilderment.

"I don't understand you. I mean, what the fuck is it that goes through your mind, huh?" Katsuya's eyebrows drew together as he shook his head with a frustrated sigh, "Most of the time you act like a lousy, heartless bastard. But then… I dunno. Once in awhile you actually seem human. Like… like this morning…"

Disliking where this topic of conversation was headed, Seto raised an eyebrow and said in his most condescending tone, "I don't suppose there is a point to this nonsense, Mutt?"

Katsuya growled as he broke eye contact, "I already stated my _point_, Moneybags. _I don't fucking understand you_."

"I assure you, Jounouchi," Seto replied, the harshness draining from his voice as he, too, looked away, suddenly feeling tired, "You don't want to even try."

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Master Kaiba, there is a group of high-school students at the gate asking to be let in. One of them stated his name as Moutou Yuugi. Should I grant them entrance?"

Katsuya nearly jumped for joy when the guard announced the arrival of his friends. Instead he settled for pumping his fists in the air and chanting, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Let them in!"

He had been sitting on the same couch for the past three hours, doing nothing but listening to Seto type and staring blankly down at the textbook that he was supposed to be reading for History. But it was… _so_… boring. He had given up after the first page. The rest of the time he spent daydreaming, purposefully keeping his thoughts from returning to his father's harsh words. But now that his friends were here, his day was bound to pick up.

Beside him, Seto stopped typing and sent an irritated look towards his employee, "Fine. Show them in."

"Alright!" Katsuya cheered, throwing his textbook across the room in his excitement. He was saved from boredom! The long stretch of peace had definitely been starting to get on his nerves. He hated too much silence. It gave him too much time to think about things he'd rather not.

Seto, with a peeved-sounding grumble, shut down whatever he had been so diligently working on, and stood up. Quick to follow, Katsuya eagerly bounced from foot to foot until finally he saw one of his friends enter through the door with a wide smile. Overjoyed, Katsuya grinned and greeted loudly, "Yuug'! Ya came to visit me!"

The shorter, cheerful teen laughed and nodded, "Of course, Jou-kun. We missed you at school today."

Right behind Yuugi came Hiroto and Ryuuji. Yuugi ran up to Katsuya and glomped his blond-haired friend while Hiroto just gave him a friendly slap on the back, "Where were you today, Jou? You missed a pop-quiz in Math, you lucky bastard."

Katsuya patted Yuugi on the head as he answered, "Kaiba insisted on stayin' home today. Not that I argued too much for goin' to school…"

Upon hearing this, Yuugi's head turned sharply towards Seto to glare at the taller brunette. Katsuya had to suppress a laugh as those insanely wide, purple eyes only managed to make him look cutely miffed. Yuugi scolded the expressionless CEO, "You may be able to afford to skip classes, Kaiba, but Jounouchi-kun's education is important. I won't stand for you dragging him down like this!"

"Woah, Yuug', it's not like that," Katsuya quickly intervened before Seto could respond with more than a sneer, "We jus' ran into some trouble this morning and decided it would be better to take the day off. Don't worry, though, I've still been studying." Kind of. If having an open textbook on your lap counted as studying.

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" Yuugi's expression quickly changed to one of concern, "You didn't get into a fight, did you?"

"Nah," Katsuya grinned disarmingly, "You don't need to worry 'bout it. Nothin' major, y'know?"

He could feel Hiroto giving him a questioning look and knew that his brown-haired friend did not believe him, but decided to ignore it for now. He'd talk to Hiroto later, when they could be alone. Well, as alone as possible with Seto there. He glanced at Seto, who was still giving the short, tri-color-haired boy an icy glare, "Erm… Yuug'? You didn't happen to figure out how to separate us yet, did you?"

"Oh…" Yuugi looked up at him apologetically, which told Katsuya all he needed to know. Damn, looks like he was stuck with ol' Moneybags for a while longer yet. His shorter friend sighed and rolled his eyes, "Yami refuses to come out of his soul room right now to check the collars again. He's been sulking," here he winced at something nobody else could see or hear, "Erm… I mean, he's been 'rethinking his strategy' ever since last night, when he got into a fight with Yami Bakura."

"Don't tell me he lost against Bakura?" Hiroto asked in disbelief as Katsuya just stared incredulously at the thought of Yami Yuugi losing a fight against the tomb robber.

"Well… I don't know about that," Yuugi said with a confused and slightly worried expression, "We were visiting Ryou at the time. Ryou and I had gotten tired of our Yamis' bickering and had left them to go make tea. Then… about ten minutes later Yami stormed into the kitchen and disappeared into his soul room. He wouldn't even talk to me for the rest of the night. Ryou said Bakura was livid and wouldn't come out of his room either."

Katsuya shook his head, thankful once again that he didn't have to put up with any psycho spirits living in his head, "Weird."

"Are we going to stand around here all night?" Ryuuji spoke up with an irritated frown, and then glanced meaningfully at the silently fuming CEO of Kaiba Corp., "Anyway, I think we've worn out our welcome."

"You can't wear out something you never had in the first place," Seto muttered irritably as he frowned at the small group gathered in his precious mansion.

Rolling his eyes, Katsuya poked the taller brunette's side, "Be nice."

As Seto's blue-eyed glare suddenly focused solely on the blond annoyance at his side, Hiroto slumped down comfortably into one of the couches, "Nah, I think I'll stay here for awhile. What about you guys?"

"Yeah! I'd love to," Yuugi agreed enthusiastically as Katsuya cheerfully shouted his approval of the decision.

Ryuuji, however, did not look happy, "I thought you said you were going to come with me to my store after school, Honda. Did you forget or something?"

Confused, Katsuya calmed down and turned to stare at Ryuuji. The black-haired creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters was acting stranger than usual. And despite his casual tone of voice, his expression seemed almost… hurt. Katsuya frowned, wondering what was going on with his friend.

Unlike Katsuya, Hiroto didn't seem to have caught the slighted look on Ryuuji's face, "Hey, I'll come by later. Besides, I was just at your shop yesterday and I haven't seen Jou all day."

Ryuuji's green-eyes narrowed dangerously for a moment and flickered in Katsuya's direction. He shook his head, tugging fiercely at a stray piece of hair, "Fine. Whatever, Honda. Don't even bother stopping by later; it might cut into your precious _Jounouchi_ time."

With that said, the obviously pissed off dice master turned on his heel and walked out without another word. Everybody else was silent for a few moments afterward, most of them stunned by Ryuuji's spontaneous fit of anger. Only Seto seemed unfazed. Hiroto was the first to speak, "What the heck was that all about? Was it something I said?"

"Uh…" Katsuya helpfully supplied, scratching his head in bewilderment.

Seto snorted and shook his head as though mocking their ignorance, "I always knew you two were dense, but really, this is too much."

" What?! I am _not_ de – "

"It is okay if we stay a while longer, isn't it, Kaiba?" Yuugi hastily interrupted the potential argument, smiling politely at the taller brunette, "This is your house, after all."

Seto was easily ignoring the pair of glares he was receiving and glanced down at Yuugi with a blank expression, "You can stay. But only because I'll have to deal with a sulky, whining dog otherwise. However, you have to leave in an hour."

"Oh yeah…" Katsuya grumbled with a sour look at Seto, "The stupid business meeting, right? 'Forgot." He _really_ wished there was a way out of going to those with Seto. He'd much rather stay with his friends for the rest of the night.

"Hey, you can find out all the dirty secrets within Kaiba Corp. Sell it to the media for big bucks," Hiroto jokingly suggested while stretching out on the couch as though he owned the thing, much to Seto's exasperation.

Katsuya grinned at the thought, realizing for the first time what it meant to be able to sit in on one of Kaiba Corp.'s private meetings. It was something nobody but other members of the company was allowed to do. He would get to learn what really went on behind the scenes. And if worse came to worse, he could always just sleep through the whole thing, unlike at school.

Remembering the fact that he only had an hour with his friends, he took hold of Seto's arm and dragged the taller teenager to the other couch. Surprisingly enough, Seto did not even try to protest or pull away from his grasp and instead sat silently at Katsuya's side as the other three teens excitedly talked about their day. Katsuya couldn't have been happier at the moment, despite still being leashed to Kaiba Seto. He still had his friends to talk to and he was slowly getting to know his former enemy better. No, he didn't see Seto has his enemy any longer. While the guy did still act like an emotionless jackass most of the time, there seemed to be more to it than Katsuya first thought.

"…and then I whopped Kaiba's ass until he couldn't take it any more and begged me for mercy and t'let him outta the pool 'fore he drowned!" Katsuya finished his slightly exaggerated story of their time in the swimming pool, barely noticing the skeptical looks he received. He was excited about the time he had spent earlier with Seto. Never before would he have suspected that it was possible to actually have fun in the company of the conceited CEO. But he _had_ had fun. It had been amazing.

Hiroto shot Seto a doubtful glance, "No offence, Jou, but somehow I just don't see him as the type to beg for mercy."

"It's great to hear that you're getting along with each other, though," Yuugi smiled happily, bouncing a little in a large armchair near by. He looked very pleased with himself, though Katsuya could not fathom why that was.

For the next while until they had to leave, Katsuya, Yuugi and Hiroto chatted amiably while Seto remained silent. Yuugi had tried a few times to get the blue-eyed brunette to join in on their conversation, but his attempts were ignored each time until finally he just gave up altogether. But no matter how much it seemed that Seto was completely ignoring his unwanted guests, Katsuya could swear those ice-blue eyes were studying him. He was never able to actually catch Seto in the act, of course, but he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. In the end he decided he was just being paranoid and tried to forget about it.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Katsuya glumly stared at his reflection in the full-length mirror. He was far from happy with what he saw. A charcoal grey suit and white dress shirt had replaced the comfortable t-shirt and pair of jeans he had been wearing earlier. In his hand he loosely held a dark red tie, unsure of how to even begin actually tying it around his neck. Not that he wanted _another_ thing collaring him. Knowing he was pouting at his appearance but unable to stop, he idly scratched an itch on his neck and turned his head to glance at the brunette beside him.

The young businessman was obviously much more accustomed to dressing up. He was dressed similarly to Katsuya, 'though his suit was a slightly darker shade of gray and his dress shirt was a royal blue color. The entire suit fit the taller teenager perfectly. No doubt he had all his suits tailored just for him. Katsuya's own suit was slightly big on him as it was an older one that Seto had grown out of. He would have to get his own formal wear soon since it looked like he was going to be attending a lot more meetings and Kaiba Corp. events in the future.

Katsuya watched as Seto finished tying his own dark-colored tie with practiced ease, then quickly looked back at his own reflection as Seto's attention turned to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Seto frown. Probably at his tie-less state and the only half-buttoned shirt. The blazer hadn't been buttoned at all yet, and it wouldn't be if it were up to Katsuya.

"Don't tell me you don't know how to put on a simple tie," Seto broke the silence with his usual sarcastic tone, folding his arms over his chest as though waiting for Katsuya to prove him wrong.

Katsuya just rolled his eyes, not in the mood for a big argument, "Nope. Not a clue. Last tie I wore was a clip-on, an' I still had to get Anzu to show me how it worked."

Surprisingly, Seto chuckled at this and shook his head, "You really are an odd pup. Hand it over."

He didn't want to wear the tie at all but, seeing that Seto seemed to be in a slightly better mood than usual, he didn't want to ruin it by arguing. So with a quiet sigh he reluctantly held the strip of cloth out. Seto took it and stepped in front of Katsuya, startling the blond when he eased the cloth around his neck, "Hey! Ya better not try to strangle me with this thing."

"Wouldn't dare," Seto said with a soft smirk as he continued doing whatever one was supposed to do with a tie. The back of his hand lightly brushed against Katsuya's throat, causing the slightly flustered teen to raise his chin further and he felt his cheeks become warm. He ended up staring up into Seto's passive face, meeting directly with the other's sapphire eyes that, for some reason, only seemed to strengthen the blush he knew he was sporting.

Why… why couldn't he look away? What was going on? What…? Katsuya's breath hitched, more in panic and confusion than anything else, and quickly he pulled away from the other man. What the hell _was_ that? This was Kaiba Seto, for fuck's sake. Why the hell was he _blushing_?

Fortunately he didn't get much time to dwell on this as he was yanked out of his thoughts when Seto straightened his tie with a quick tug, "There. I'm impressed, Mutt, you almost appear human dressed like this."

"Huh?" Katsuya finally blinked, realizing that Seto was acting like nothing strange had just occurred. Maybe nothing had. Maybe it had all just been in his head. Well, whatever, as long as Seto didn't comment on his unusually red face, "R-right. Too bad I can't say the same for you. You never look human."

Ignoring Katsuya's insulting comment, Seto frowned some more, "Can't you do something about that rat's nest you call hair?"

"No!" Katsuya hurriedly placed his hands on his head, trying to protect his hair from the evil bastard who wanted to ruin it, "It's perfectly fine like this! 'Sides, this is 'bout as nice as it ever gets."

"Hm," Seto hesitated for a moment then turned towards the bedroom door, "Come on, it's time to leave. We'll be late at this rate. The board is going to be ticked off enough as it is when they find out that _you're_ going be sitting in on the meeting."

Katsuya followed the other to the car with a sulky expression, "It's not like I wanna be there any more than you want me there. This is just so stupid."

The ride to the tall Kaiba Corp. tower was uneventful. Both teens were quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. Katsuya looked up at the tower as they stepped out. No matter how many times he saw it, he would always feel a bit of awe at the size of the building. It had to be the tallest in all of Domino.

"Button your shirt," Seto sneered as he led them past security and the front desk, heading for the elevator to bring them up to the conference rooms. Katsuya ignored him, needing some way to feel at least a little more comfortable in the ridiculous get-up. Man, if Hiroto ever saw him like this, he'd never be allowed to forget it.

When they finally reached the correct room and stepped through the door, they found the board of directors already seated. All eyes turned to the pair of teens who entered and Katsuya couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by the attention. The other men had stood as Seto walked across to room to the other end of the large table, and politely greeted him with formal bows while sending the out-of-place blond questioning looks. Not all of the stares directed at him were friendly.

Katsuya decided it was best to just keep his mouth shut. He was completely out of his element and had no idea how he was supposed to act. He felt his face turn red with slight embarrassment as Seto grabbed an extra chair to place next to his own large one at the head of the conference table. They definitely had everyone's attention now.

He sat down beside Seto, for once grateful for the other's familiar presence. Without even sparing a glance at Katsuya, Seto pulled out his laptop and motioned for the other men to be seated, "Uesugi-san, please begin the meeting."

"Er… Yes, Kaiba-san," the older man had to obviously restrain himself from questioning the presence of the CEO's companion. At least that was one advantage to being stuck with Kaiba Seto; nobody who knew the imperious Kaiba would dare argue against his decisions for fear of bringing his icy wrath down upon them.

Katsuya listened with intent interest at first as the meeting began, hoping to discern any diabolical plots to take over the world with Kaiba Corp. He was sadly disappointed, however, when the men began discussing the company's sales, minor product problems and other such uninteresting things. Not even a hint of some secret conspiracy within the company.

He yawned as one of the men switched the slide on the powerpoint presentation to show yet another boring graph. Was this what all the meetings were about? How the heck did Seto manage to sit through each one without going mad from the tedium? A quick glance to his right showed that the expressionless brunette was paying strict attention to the meeting. Definitely not normal teenage behavior, Katsuya thought as he let out another slightly longer yawn.

Nobody paid him the slightest bit of attention, 'though Katsuya wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. He was part of this too, damn it! At least, now he was, and only because he had no other choice… but still!

He forced himself to remain quiet and still for another half hour, reminding himself over and over that this was part of Seto's job. It was important to the multi-millionaire CEO, no matter how boring. But after that, Katsuya decided he couldn't take it anymore and slid a hand under the table to poke at Seto's leg. He received an irritated glance for his efforts. Katsuya, still accepting the attention, put on his saddest look and whispered, "I need to take a piss. An' I'm hungry…"

At first, when Seto just raised an eyebrow and looked away, Katsuya thought he was going to be ignored again. But just when he was considering how far screaming out in the middle of the meeting would get him, Seto cleared his throat to get the attention of the man speaking, "We are taking a short break. We will resume in fifteen minutes."

All of the other men appeared to be shocked by this announcement. Katsuya assumed from this reaction that it wasn't usual for them to take breaks. At least not so soon into the meeting. Man, how did they survive these things all the time? Of course, Katsuya was just as surprised as they were that Seto was acknowledging his need for a break.

Seto paid no mind to the looks he was receiving from the other men and stood up, "Follow me, Jounouchi. I'll show you where the bathroom is located."

"Like I have a choice," Katsuya muttered as they walked out of the room. He was thankful to get away from the board of directors' serious eyes. He knew they were curious to his reason for being at the meeting with Seto and he was afraid they would start asking questions soon. Hopefully Seto had come up with something to pacify them. He shook his head, "What a bunch of creepy, old geezers."

"'Couldn't have said it better myself."

Katsuya jumped at the unexpected comment and turned his head to gape at the tall teenager beside him. Did Seto just _agree_ with him? And did he just call his _own_ board of directors 'creepy, old geezers'? Wow… Maybe if he looked out a window, he'd see a flock of flying pigs pass by as well, "Er…"

"Do your business quickly, Mutt, if you want time to pick up a snack as well," Seto opened the bathroom door and locked it behind them. They went through their usual, 'though still embarrassing, routine of one using the toilet while the other, only two feet away, turned their back. It wasn't quite as bad when he only had to take a whiz, but it was just plain awkward when it came to taking a dump.

"I must admit I'm impressed," Seto said as they walked down the hallway towards a couple of vending machines, "You managed to sit through an entire hour without embarrassing either one of us."

Wait… was that a compliment? Katsuya peered up at Seto's face suspiciously but only found the usual unsmiling, almost cold features. The blond frowned as he waited for Seto to put some change in the machine. Now that he thought about it, the normally cold-hearted jerk had been acting a little strange all day. First he had comforted Katsuya after escaping his apartment. After that he hadn't put up much of a fight when Katsuya had decided he wanted to go swimming, and then Seto had actually fooled around with him in the pool. And then there was the tie thing before leaving for the meeting. To top it all off, now Katsuya seemed to be receiving genuine praise for behaving himself. Something just didn't make a whole lot of sense here…

"Well? We have exactly five minutes before the meeting continues. Pick your snack already," Seto growled, his eyes seemingly fixed on a small painting hanging on the wall nearby.

Katsuya blinked, staring blankly first at the vending machine and then at the brown-haired CEO beside him. Seto was actually _paying_ for him? Okay, that was it; he'd had enough of this craziness for one day. Seto might still appear to be his usual, stoic, cold self, but Katsuya, who had been around the brunette a lot longer than he'd have preferred over his lifetime, could see the change as though it were screaming out at the world. Placing his hands on his hips, Katsuya glared up at the other teen, "Alright, Kaiba. Tell me what the hell is going on with you today? An' don't tell me it's nothing or that I'm imaginin' things, 'cause I know I'm not."

Seto appeared almost startled by the outburst for a moment but quickly schooled his features as he gave Katsuya a frosty sneer, "I have no idea what you are talking about, Mongrel. Now just pick your damn candy so we can get the rest of the meeting over with."

"You do _too_ know what I'm talkin' about!" Katsuya clenched his fists, ready to be as stubborn as possible to pry a single damn answer from the equally stubborn Kaiba, "You've been actin' weird today. Too… too _nice_. At least more so than usual."

"So you would rather I smack you around and yell at you every minute of the day?" Seto snorted as he pushed one of the buttons on the machine, probably realizing it would take all night if he had to wait for Katsuya to do it himself, "I hope you like peanut butter cups, because that's what you're getting."

Why couldn't the stupid bastard ever just _cooperate_? Katsuya absently wondered if there was such a thing as a superiority complex, because if there was, Seto definitely had it. It wasn't fair that he was stuck with somebody like him. But Katsuya really wanted to know what was causing Seto to act slightly more human than usual lately. It was kind of worrisome. Maybe the ass of a CEO was dying or something.

"You're not… dying, are you? From some incurable disease or somethin'?"

"…" Seto stared as though wondering whether Katsuya had finally gone off the deep end.

"I mean, you even seem to use my actual name once in a while now," Katsuya quickly tried to explain before Seto decided he needed to go see a psychiatrist or something, "And you've been… _agreeing_ with me on some stuff. It's weird, man. Really, really not you."

"I…" Seto paused, still giving the blond in front of him a scrutinizing stare. Then he smirked and casually tossed the candy at Katsuya, who caught it automatically without take his eyes off the brunette, "I just realized something, that is all."

"Eh?" Okay… that wasn't a very informative answer, but still unexpected, "What did you, er, realize?"

"Well," Seto turned and started walking back to the boardroom, indicating that Katsuya should follow. As they reached the door, Seto shot him a quick, calculating glance over his shoulder before entering with a simple, "That's for me to know and curious, little puppy-dogs to find out."

-.-.-.-.-.-

To Be Continued...

_Tip of the Iceberg: Only a hint or suggestion of a much larger or more complex issue or problem. This phrase alludes to the fact that the bulk of a floating iceberg is concealed beneath the water, leaving only a small portion, its tip, visible above._

**(A/N)** So what do you think? Heh, things are definitely changing between those two stubborn boys. What has Seto realized, hmmm? Honda and Otogi are definitely going to be one of the secondary couplings, 'though SetoxKatsuya is always going to be the main focus of the story. However, I love Otogi, so he's not going to turn evil and hatch insane plans to kill Jou in order to gain Honda's attention, lol. Nah, he's just a little jealous and hurt right now. Honda'll come to his senses somehow. I don't know what other couples I'll add in, if I do. YYxY and YBxB are the obvious ones I could do, but I kind of, personally, like YamiYugi x YamiBakura, haha. We'll see... :-P

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em!

**PS!!** If the formatting is all wonky this time, please tell me! I had to use a different format this time to upload it since FFNet updated their document download/editing thing. -sigh-


	8. Bolt from the Blue

**Warnings**: shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, etc...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU

**Pairings**: Future Seto/Jou; Honda/Otogi;

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas.

.-.-.-.-.-  
**Inescapable You **

Chapter 8: Bolt from the Blue

Hiroto had always seen Kaiba Seto as the enemy. There were many obvious reasons for this. There was the fact that the taller brunette was a bastard to everyone around him and never gave anything away without a price. He rarely showed emotion and was merciless to those who tried to open him up or show him things he did not want to see. As CEO of Kaiba Corp, he frequently abused his power for his own benefit. Other people were beneath him, and he never let them forget it. Hiroto hated all of these things about Seto, but if it were anybody else, he probably would not have been so bothered by it. In fact, he most likely would have been able to effectively ignore Seto all his life, except that the arrogant CEO ruined it all by trying, usually with success, to constantly humiliate Hiroto's best pal, Katsuya.

Of course, it wasn't unusual for Katsuya to attract the wrong sorts of people, many of who had actively tried to hurt him, especially during those years where the blond had been part of a gang. But Katsuya and Hiroto had usually been able to easily deal with those kinds of people, normally with the use of fists and other such threats. Seto was different, however. It didn't usually come down to violence with him, 'though Katsuya had tried his hardest to make it so. Seto instead used words as his weapon. Cruel, mocking words that he could almost always back up with the power of Kaiba Corp. He threatened people, angered them, made fools of them. And all without a second thought towards their feelings. That was what Hiroto hated most about him.

Things had always been so clear to him when it came to Kaiba Seto. Seto was their enemy, someone to be hated and to be fought against. But now everything seemed to be turning upside down and inside out. Lately Katsuya was forced to stay in Seto's company every moment of the day without a break. They were always together, they didn't have a choice. Hiroto found himself in a position where he couldn't protect his friend against their rival. Instead, he was forced to trust that Seto would not irreparably harm Katsuya.

For now, at least, they seemed to be getting along better than Hiroto could have hoped for. He had been watching them together as much as he could, waiting to see if there was any need for him to permanently stick with Katsuya to help him out, but so far nothing he had seen gave him any cause for alarm. Sure they still argued over almost every little thing, but it hadn't actually come down to using fists, yet. And Katsuya did not seem completely devastated by the situation. Unhappy and a little angry, yes, but not extremely depressed or anything.

If truth be told, Hiroto was actually contemplating that Malik's and Yami Bakura's prank might even be having a positive effect on Katsuya. Mainly because it kept the blond away from his apartment and father. The elder Jounouchi was someone who Hiroto hated even more than Kaiba, and anything that helped Katsuya get away from his father was a very good thing in his mind.

"Hond'! Tell Moneybags that he's an asshole!"

"Moneybags, you're an asshole," Honda complied as he slammed the metal door of his locker shut. He swung his school bag, which was much heavier with the entire day's combined homework stuffed into it, over his shoulder and turned to watch Katsuya try to sort through his own neighboring locker. He _almost_ felt some sympathy for Seto, who was forced to kneel on the floor beside Katsuya as the blond frantically pawed through the chaotic mess in the locker.

Seto didn't even dignify Hiroto with a glare. Instead he appeared to be trying hard not to stare in morbid fascination at the piles of papers, textbooks, old snacks and other odds and ends that came spilling out onto the floor in front of the blond. With a short sigh, Hiroto leaned down and saved a book from drowning in what looked to be torn up history notes, "Is this what you're looking for, Jou?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Katsuya exclaimed with a relieved smile at the sight of the textbook, "I knew it had to be here somewhere."

"Maybe if you kept things a little more organized…" Seto muttered as Katsuya started stuffing things back into the locker with no regard at all for the papers and books being crushed in the process. Hiroto had given up long ago trying to teach the blond how to store his possessions away neatly.

As the two bound teenagers finally stood up together, Hiroto handed over the book and waited for them to dust off their pants before they headed towards the school exit. It was the end of the school day and they were all glad to be free again. Only another two days to go before the weekend, Hiroto thought optimistically. Walking beside Katsuya, he asked the blond, "So, was today any easier than the first day?"

Katsuya groaned and shook his head, "Ugh, no way. If anything it was worse! I'm still lost in all these advanced classes that Moneybags takes. An' all those damn rumors 'bout me an' Kaiba are the worst. Can you believe one girl actually _asked_ me if Kaiba had hired me to be his _'escort'_? I mean, 'the fuck! That's just gross."

Hiroto had to laugh at that. It was true that the rumors had grown and spawned mutant theories over the day. He had heard some pretty wild ones himself. He grinned teasingly, "I don't know, Jou. The one about Seto murdering you and replacing your body with an android built to obey him was pretty convincing."

"Hn, now there's an idea," Seto smirked, glancing down at Katsuya with a creepy look in his eyes.

Making a face, Katsuya huffed and purposely turned his head to face the pointed-haired brunette, "Honda, tell this prick that I don't 'preciate his dumb-ass comments."

"Hey, Prick, Jou doesn't appreciate – "

"I heard him," Seto cut him off with an exasperated glare. Not that Hiroto was surprised. Ever since second period, Katsuya had decided to stop speaking to the CEO and instead relayed his insults through whichever of his friends happened to be closest. Nobody, except Seto probably, knew the reason. Although Hiroto had found out that it had something to do with a secret that Seto refused to reveal to the blond. But he couldn't understand what Seto could possibly be keeping that would be of any interest to Katsuya.

"You're going to have to start talking to him once you two are alone again, y'know," Hiroto told his friend as they stepped onto the school parking lot. He could see Seto's limo waiting for the two on the street and wondered if he should ask for a ride home. Or maybe go with them back to the Kaiba estate.

Katsuya frowned, a small pout appearing on his lips as he crossed his arms and kicked sulkily at a pebble, "Damn. Don't remind me. Hey, there's Dice-boy!"

Sure enough, Otogi Ryuuji was seen strolling across the pavement a little ways away, heading towards his own sleek convertible parked in the lot. Hiroto felt the twinge of confusion and hurt he had been feeling all day when he found out that the black-haired teen was completely ignoring him. Otogi wouldn't even look at him, or sit adjacent to him at lunch. It was annoying as hell, but also very depressing. Especially since he hadn't the slightest clue as to _why_ he was being ignored. He was unable to come up with a single thing he could have done to deserve it.

It didn't seem that Ryuuji was aware of their presence so Hiroto decided it was best to just remain with Katsuya and Seto. He knew there wasn't any point in trying to talk to Ryuuji when the stubborn teen was acting like this. He'd probably only make matters worse anyway.

"I think he's mad at me, for some reason," Katsuya told his two companions as they slowed down a bit to watch Ryuuji, "When I said 'good morning' to him today, he jus' sort of brushed me off, actin' all pissy-like an' stuff."

"Nah, it's me he's pissed off at," Hiroto corrected the blond with a grimace, "Did you see how he avoided me at lunch? Man, I just don't get him…"

Katsuya opened his mouth to reply but he was cut off by a quiet, amused chuckle. Both looked up at Seto with identical wary expressions, "What th'fuck are you laughin' at, Moneybags?"

"You two," Seto told him without hesitation. The tall brunette's face had gone back to its normal expressionless state, although his eyes seemed to mock the two boys at his side. Before either could become angry enough at the insult to start yelling or try to take a swing at him, Seto wrapped his hand around Katsuya's forearm in a firm grip and jerked him forward.

"Ah! What the hell!" the shorter blond yelped loudly as he was dragged along behind Seto who was headed straight for the unsuspecting CEO of Dungeon Dice Monsters. Hiroto watched them in surprise for a moment, before following slowly with a sigh. He really didn't want to find out he was still being ignored by Ryuuji, but curiosity and confusion kept his feet moving in the black-haired teen's direction.

It appeared as though Ryuuji had heard the commotion, especially Katsuya's ranting and cursing as he was forced across the parking lot. Ryuuji paused in the process of starting his car and raised his eyes in the others' direction. His calm expression changed into one of confusion and annoyance when Seto stormed up to the side of his car and stopped there to glare down at the seated teenager.

"Can I help you?" Ryuuji finally asked, raising an eyebrow in irritation when Seto continued to glare silently. Katsuya glanced curiously between Seto and Ryuuji but then he just leaned against the side of the car with an impatient sigh, obviously waiting for the other two to get whatever they needed to say over with. Hiroto remained a few steps away, reluctant to bring Ryuuji's attention to him.

Seto smirked and folded his arms over his chest in an arrogant fashion, "I hear you have a desire to reschedule that meeting you have with me in two months to this weekend."

Ryuuji paused as he heard this, his eyes narrowing slightly with suspicion, "Yeah, so?"

"Consider it done," Seto smirked as a surprise look crossed the green-eyed boy's face. Of course, Ryuuji knew Seto well enough to know that he _never_ gave out favors for free.

"What's the catch?"

"In return, you will take that spikey-haired monkey over there and explain to him exactly why you have been ignoring him," the CEO of Kaiba Corp stated, taking no notice of the three astonished stares he gained.

Hiroto could not believe what Seto was doing. It didn't make sense. Maybe he was imagining it, but it almost seemed like the oldest Kaiba was trying to help him out. But that wasn't right, Kaiba Seto did _not_ willingly indulge in acts of kindness, especially for friends of Yuugi.

For a moment, emerald-green eyes met his own brown ones as Ryuuji shot him a quick, unreadable glance. Then the black-haired dice master looked back up at Seto, "What makes you think I've been ignoring him? And, more to the point, why do you care?"

"Anybody with half a brain can see you have been avoiding him. Besides, all he's talked about all day is you and what he could have done to piss you off. His continuous moping is getting on my nerves."

"…Right," Ryuuji's eyebrows rose a little at this. He took another, more thoughtful look in Hiroto's direction. Hiroto, a little embarrassed by Seto's exaggerated comments (at least, he hoped they were exaggerated), avoided eye contact this time. He studiously kept his eyes on the convertible's shiny rear bumper, trying to make some sense of his own thoughts and at the same time wondering why his cheeks suddenly felt warmer than they should.

"Well? Is it a deal?" Seto asked, the look in his eyes daring Ryuuji to decline his offer.

Ryuuji finally sighed and began playing with the ends of his bangs as he nodded, "Yeah, sure, deal. Hop in, Honda, I'll give you a ride home while we talk."

"Good," Seto smirked in approval, "I'll see you in my office this Saturday, then. Nine AM, sharp." Katsuya grumbled something about working, especially that early, on their day off, but Seto ignored him as usual.

When Hiroto hesitated, still unsure if this was some joke or for real, Ryuuji impatiently waved him over, "Hurry it up. I don't have all day."

"Er, okay…" Hiroto started walking towards the passenger door, unable to believe his luck. Not only would he get to finally find out what the matter was with Ryuuji but this also gave him a good excuse to escape Seto's overwhelming presence for a while.

But as he was brushing by the taller brunette, Seto snagged his coat collar and pulled him close. Close enough that only Hiroto could hear the whispered demand, "I need to speak with you about Jounouchi. Be at my house tomorrow night, eleven o'clock. Don't be late."

And then Hiroto was shoved towards the car. Well, that was weird. It wasn't everyday that the great Kaiba Seto wanted to speak to _him_. Not to mention, this only served to aggravate his worries about leaving Katsuya alone with that prick. He hesitated at the car door, unsure of whether to go with Ryuuji like he wanted or stay with Katsuya in case something awful was going on with him. Catching Ryuuji's impatient glare, however, decided him. Katsuya would have said something if he was having a serious problem. With a sigh, he climbed into the passenger seat and buckled himself in. Just in time too, as at that moment Ryuuji pulled out of the parking space without warning, tires squealing as they left the other two teens in the dust.

"So… Something you wanted to tell me?" Hiroto said as they slowed down to a stop for a red light, allowing them to speak without the noise of the wind drowning their voices out.

Ryuuji's fingers drummed nervously on the steering wheel as he stared at the passing traffic with a look that Hiroto wasn't sure what to make of. It took them another two red lights before the green-eyed duelist finally answered. Unfortunately the answer was in the form of a question; one which made Hiroto want to either stop breathing completely or scream loudly for a very, very long time. In the end he settled for staring blankly at the obviously insane dice-lover beside him.

"_First I want to know, are you in love with Jou?"_

.-.-.-.-.-

"You know!"

"Hell yeah. It is _my_ toy after all."

"Then why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

Malik rolled his eyes at the furious glare he was receiving. After turning down the music enough so that they could at least talk without screaming over the blaring noise, he flopped back down on to the bed with a groan, "I don't see what your problem is, Idiot. It's not like those two will ever get along well enough to figure it out anyway."

"My _problem_, you little shit, is that you're keeping it from me," the white haired Yami was sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, scowling with frustrated anger. His dark brown eyes flashed dangerously and Malik decided maybe he better explain before things got out of hand.

"Look," the blond Egyptian sighed, rolling over to face the other, "I am not telling you the secret to unlocking that damn leash because then it would be all too easy for Ryou to access the information. Don't think I haven't noticed the way both the Pharaoh and his brat have been harassing you every moment they can for that knowledge."

"My counterpart knows better than to betray my thoughts and secrets," Bakura said, glowering at the blond. Malik only smirked in response and stretched out a bit more on the bed, letting his fingers brush against the other's knees. The reaching hands were promptly batted away, "Stop that. Fine, you're right. Ryou is stupid enough to do something like that, especially under the midget's influence.

"Mmhm. Which is why only _I_ know," Malik grinned with a teasing wink. He loved aggravating the tomb robber almost as much as he loved scheming with him. So much fun. Bakura scowled and leaned forward to pinch the smug Egyptian's nose. Hard. With a yelp, Malik sat up and brought his hands up to his sore nose, "_Ow!_ What the fuck was that for? Hell, that _hurt_, you asshole."

"It was meant to hurt, Shithead," Bakura replied, satisfied with the pain he had caused, "Now tell me something about this stupid secret of yours before I do worse damage to your precious face."

Malik slowly took his hands away from his nose, thankful when he found no blood on them, and crossed his legs to mirror Bakura, "I already told you, it won't happen. Kaiba and Jou hate each other's guts. They'll be stuck together forever."

"Hm. So, are you implying that they must get along in order to break the spell?"

"Well, something like that," Malik grinned, leaning forward until his hands rested firmly on Bakura's legs, "They'll have to get along pretty _damn_ well, if you know what I mean. That's all I'm telling."

"I see," Bakura laughed, a pleased grin on his face. He suddenly sprang forward, pushing Malik down on his back and leaned over him. The blond, fairly unsurprised by the quick attack, smirked up at the tomb robber, violet eyes filling with anticipation and hunger. Bakura chuckled again as he saw the look and pinned Malik's hands above his head with one strong fist, "Since it is getting boring just sitting around, I suppose we'll have to make it our responsibility to make sure they _never_ become too friendly with each other."

"Definitely. But… let's work on that… _later_."

.-.-.-.-.-

Seto was in the middle of applying his signature to a large pile of paper documents when Mokuba burst into the office, excitement visibly radiating from every pore of the boy, "Jou! Jou! You wanna go to the park to get ice cream with me?"

The blond teen in question, who had been dozing, slumped back on the couch beside Seto, immediately perked up, "What? Ice cream! You bet!"

Feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on, Seto tried to ignore the other two, glaring down at the never-ending papers. It was always irritating when someone interrupted his work, even when it was his precious little brother doing so, but he managed to hold back on snapping at the others to shut up. A moment later he realized that they were still babbling on about the weather, the park and ice cream, and felt their expectant eyes on him. Keeping his eyes on the current request form in front of him, he just shook his head, "I still have a lot of work to get done here, Mokuba. Why don't you call one of your friends from school to go with you?"

"But 'Niisama!" Mokuba began, a pout forming on his lips that Seto could feel even though he wasn't looking, "I don't want to go out with them. Besides, I invited Jounouchi, not you."

Seto felt his lips unwillingly twitch up slightly at his brother's attempts at manipulating him, "That's not going to work. You know very well that wherever the mutt goes, I do too. Unfortunately."

"Aw, 'Niisama, please! It's too hot to work. Jou and I want ice cream!"

Katsuya apparently decided that Mokuba wasn't whining enough on his own and helpfully joined in, "C'mon, Kaiba. Please? I really want some! I've been quiet for almost an entire _hour_, I _deserve_ some kinda reward for that."

"Yeah! He's right, 'Niisama! And you wouldn't deny your little brother a bit of attention every now and then, would you? I haven't seen you all day!" Mokuba continued, evilly pulling out the 'pay more attention to me' card.

Seto knew it was practically a lost cause but he stubbornly tried to delay them a little longer. Just enough to read over a few more documents and sign them. This part of the job was always quite tedious and frustrating, and he'd rather try to get most of it done now instead of having it to look forward to later. He tightened his grip on the pen, frowning at the words in front of him, "Maybe later. I would prefer to finish up here first and then we can talk about – "

"Hey! Why don't you get Jounouchi to help you? Then you'll get done faster and we can go out," Mokuba interrupted, skipping over to Seto's desk in his excitement.

Finally glancing up at the grinning black-haired boy, Seto shot him a pointed glare, "Do not act as though you are blind. You can clearly see that all my work involves right now are signatures, so – "

"It's okay! Jou's good at that."

Seto frowned, feeling a little concerned when the blond at his side said nothing, "He's good at what?"

Still smiling, Mokuba happily explained, "Good at faking your signature, of course! I got him to do it on one of my report cards once because I didn't want you to see it, and the signature looked _exactly_ like yours! Even I couldn't tell the difference, can you believe that? I'd help you sign, too, of course. Jou taught me how – "

"Uh, we don't need to go into that," Katsuya finally intervened, laughing nervously as he caught Seto's darkening expression.

He couldn't believe this. Katsuya knew how to forge his signature? One could only imagine what kind of trouble the blond could get into with _that_ talent. And then to teach his younger brother as well! He growled under his breath, shooting a glare at Katsuya, "How long, exactly, have you been able to forge _my_ signature?"

"Geeze, Kaiba, probably since almost as long as I've known ya. It's not that hard, really, just takes a lot of practice," Katsuya told him with a shrug, not making eye contact, "Both me an' Honda know how, jus' in case we came into some financial trouble or somethin'."

That damn dog had just practically admitted to intentions of stealing from the Kaiba Corporation. Seto was not happy to hear this, at all, but there did not seem much of a point in wasting his breath yelling about it now. It wasn't as though he could undo Katsuya's knowledge. Instead he warned the other, "If you ever steal from me, you _will_ regret ever being born on this planet. I hope you know that."

Katsuya snorted, "Don't worry your pretty head 'bout it, Moneybags. We gave up on the idea a long time ago when we learned just how paranoid you are when it comes to protecting your money."

"Good," was all Seto said, then he thought of something else, "And do not teach Mokuba your filthy, uncouth habits. He's been taught better than that."

"I thought it was neat," muttered Mokuba. The boy shifted his weight to the other foot, then back again, staring in wide-eyed innocence at his older brother. Seto knew better than to buy into it and yet he began to feel almost like giving in. Damn those puppy eyes. The youngest Kaiba, obviously catching a hint of Seto's hesitation, enforced the eyes with the cutest pout he could muster, "Pleease, 'Niisama? Just a little walk to the ice cream stand? You love me _that_ much, don't you?"

Oh crap. Seto's resolve all but disappeared at this, especially when Katsuya joined Mokuba in making puppy-dog eyes at him. He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the slight fluttery feeling in his chest as Katsuya's lower lip stuck out, and gave in with a sigh, "Fine. We'll meet you downstairs, Mokuba."

"Yay! Thank-you, 'Niisama!" Mokuba laughed, eyes sparkling triumphantly as he ran out the door to get ready for the outing. They could hear his loud footsteps pound down the hallway for a moment before they faded away.

Katsuya, too, looked excited to be going out. The blond glanced at Seto skeptically, "Do you even eat ice cream?"

"Occasionally," Seto sighed. He shot the pile of papers in front of him one last glare before shoving them to the side. He supposed it wouldn't kill him to finish it later. Just this once, anyway. He stood up carefully, making sure that Katsuya followed him on the short leash, "Let's get this thing over with then."

"Geeze, ya make it sound like we're goin' to a funeral or somethin'. Lighten up, will you?" Katsuya muttered as they went down to where Mokuba was waiting at the front door. Seto ignored the blond and led the way out of the house with Katsuya and Mokuba chattering happily from either side of him.

It was hot out, just as Mokuba had said. The blue sky was cloudless and the sun beat down on the crowds of sweating, rushing people below. Seto wished they had taken his car. At least _it_ had air-conditioning. It probably did not help that he was wearing all black and a long-sleeved shirt, either. Katsuya and Mokuba, decked out in t-shirts and shorts, appeared to be much more comfortable. While feigning disinterest in anything but reaching their destination, Seto frequently glanced at Katsuya from the corner of his eye, inconspicuously taking in the sight of the cheerful blond's wide smile and sparkling amber eyes. Had it really been only a day since he'd finally admitted to himself his growing attraction for Jounouchi Katsuya? It was strange… yet not as bad as he had first feared. It was okay to be attracted, he was sure. It wasn't as though anything would come of it.

"Ooh! Can I get two scoops, 'Niisama? Please!" the youngest boy squealed as he stared up at the flavor list inside the ice cream shack. When Seto nodded his consent, Mokuba squealed happily again and quickly ran up to the counter to place his order.

Seto looked over at Katsuya, "What are you getting?"

Katsuya blinked up at the flavors and prices then began digging through his pockets, "Uh, le'see here, I might have enough for a small cone."

A small cone? Like that would ever be enough to satisfy the greedy blond's insatiable appetite. Seto shook his head, "It's my treat. Get whatever you want."

"Huh? Really?" Katsuya looked up at him, his expression warring between suspicion and hope, "Anything I want?" Seto nodded and pulled him towards the counter. Mokuba was still chattering at the lady who was helping him.

A few minutes later, as they stood outside again, Seto almost regretted letting Katsuya have his choice of cones. The blond stood beside him, eagerly licking at the four scoops of dangerously tilting ice cream. It would be a miracle if he managed to eat them before they melted all over the place or fell off the cone. Seto rolled his eyes and tried to edge a little further away just in case the tower of ice cream decided to fall his way, and took a small bite out of his own plain chocolate cone. One could never go wrong with chocolate.

"So, where're we headed now?" Katsuya asked between licks. Seto purposely kept his eyes averted from the other's pink tongue which darted out every few seconds, 'though unfortunately he could not block his ears from the slurping and pleasured sounds of Katsuya enjoying the ice cream.

Mokuba began running ahead, "To the playground! It's just over here!"

The playground. Of course. Seto sighed quietly as he and Katsuya followed behind at a slower pace. The brunette glanced sideways again, wondering what he had done to deserve this bad luck. Maybe this attraction-thing would not last. Maybe it was just some sort of phase he was going through. But, no, he was too old for that, wasn't he? And it did not feel like it was something that could disappear overnight. It felt… good?

"Kaiba?" Seto blinked, coming out of his thoughts at the sound of his name. Katsuya was watching him with a curious expression, "You keep, uh, lookin' at me."

"You're imagining things, Pup," Seto replied calmly, quickly averting his gaze to watch Mokuba climb around on the playground equipment. He knew Katsuya wouldn't believe him, but what the hell _was_ he supposed to say? Admit the truth? Not in a million years.

Katsuya shrugged, popping the last of his ice cream cone into his mouth. Slowly he chewed it, and then swallowed, "Ah! That sure hit the spot. So, care to tell me why I keep _imaginin'_ you're starin' at me?"

Seto snorted and sat down on one of the park benches, pulling Katsuya down with him, "I don't know what y– " Oh god, he's licking his fingers. No, don't stare, you idiot! Seto quickly took his own advice and tore his eyes from Katsuya as the blond casually sucked his fingers clean of melted ice cream. Damn.

"Are you sure you're alright? You're acting strange," Katsuya informed him around the pointer finger he still had in his mouth. Not that Seto would know it was the pointer finger, because he _wasn't_ staring at it. Not at all.

…

"Er, y'know… you're starin' at me… again."

"Shut up," Seto snapped without thinking, "It's your own damn fault, Mutt!"

Before the very shocked Katsuya could reply, Seto grabbed the other's arm and stormed over to where his younger brother was hanging from the monkey bars, "Mokuba! We're leaving, now."

.-.-.-.-.-

_You are weak, Seto_

No…

_You are mine now. You handed over your life to me willingly. I will not stand for weakness._

No, where's Mokuba? What did you do with him?

_If I _ever_ again catch you sleeping when you should be studying, I will make sure that you will never see Mokuba again, understand?_

I want to see him… I don't want to be here anymore…

_You will one day take over this company. But until then, I will drive all weaknesses from your body and spirit. I will make you worthy of the Kaiba name._

I am not weak… I am not! For Mokuba's sake, I cannot be…

_When you are strong, you will be able to control your emotions with an iron fist. A Kaiba is never allowed to feel those emotions reserved for common people._

No crying. No laughing. No smiling. No emotions. I must be worthy, I _have_ to be.

_You will learn, Seto. No matter what it takes, you will learn what it is to be a Kaiba. You will stay here, isolated from your brother and the world until you are worthy._

I will be strong. Just you wait, Gozaburo. I will be stronger than you one day.

_Kai –?_

I will be a Kaiba. I will be worthy. And I _will_ beat you in more than just a game of chess. One day.

_Kaiba?_

Stop calling me that! I hate that name! I hate what it stands for. Leave me alone. I don't want to be here. Let me see my little brother…

_Wake up! Kaiba!_

Shut up! Shut up! I _am_ strong. I _am_. Go away, Gozaburo. Leave me alone!

Why… why can't I ever be rid of you? You are supposed to be dead…

.-.-.-.-

Katsuya had never been so terrified of Kaiba Seto in his life. Moments ago, he'd been trying to wake up the muttering, tossing brunette, who was obviously in the middle of a bad dream. It had turned out to be a mistake, however, when he'd reached out to shake the other teen awake. The moment his hand made contact with the other's bared shoulder, Katsuya found himself flipped onto his back. Before he could so much as blink, he found himself being choked at the hands of the still dreaming Seto.

Seto was straddling him, pinning his arms against his sides so that Katsuya had no chance to defend himself. He tried struggling a bit but found out that Seto was surprisingly stronger than his skinny frame suggested. Gasping frantically for air as Seto's hands tightened around his throat, Katsuya began choking out Kaiba's name, hoping desperately that the taller teen would wake up before the blond ran out of air. At first, calling out 'Kaiba' only seemed to worsen the situation. When the edges of Katsuya's vision began to darken, he gritted his teeth and kicked up with one leg as hard as possible, catching his knee against Seto's backside. For a moment it didn't seem to work and he thought for sure he was going to pass out, and possibly die at the hands of his rival (which would suck big time when he couldn't even defend himself against the bastard), but then suddenly the grip around his neck loosened.

Wincing, Katsuya glared up into startled blue eyes. Neither of them moved for a moment, Seto still on top of the gasping blond. Then Seto slowly pulled his hands away and whispered, his voice shaky much to Katsuya's shock, "Are… are you okay?"

Was he okay? Katsuya gaped, took a moment to find his voice, then shouted, "What the _fuck_ was that all about! You just 'bout fuckin' killed me! And all you hafta say is 'are you okay'!"

Katsuya waited for Seto's usual sneer to appear, but all he got was a blank stare. It was actually creepy. There was no way Seto should ever look like that. Katsuya hesitantly frowned, feeling concerned when he still received no response, "Kaiba? Did ya hear me?"

"I…" Seto paused, still staring down at the shaken blond. Then he took a breath and said, "I need to see Mokuba."

"Huh?" was Katsuya's intelligent response. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Was this really Kaiba Seto? It couldn't be… Seto _never_ acted like this. It was scary. Katsuya didn't like it one bit, "O-okay. If it'll help…"

He wanted to ask for an explanation so badly, but for some reason he just silently followed the tall brunette down the dark, quiet hall. He found, to his surprise, that he was worried about Seto. He had never seen Seto seem so, well, human before. Vulnerable. And it bothered Katsuya to the extent that he couldn't stop staring up at Seto's blank face.

They opened the door to Mokuba's room, quietly padding in towards the bed. The young Kaiba was sleeping peacefully under the covers, as he should have been at three in the morning. Katsuya glanced down at the boy, who was adorably curled up in bed, then looked back at Seto. The brunette was watching his little brother intently, a soft, sad smile on his lips.

"K-Kaiba?" Katsuya whispered, startled at the other's expression. Seto did not give any hint that he had heard the blond, still looking down at the boy in front of them. Katsuya sighed and decided to just keep quiet and wait. He could not tear his eyes away from Seto's face, though, mesmerized by the way the moonlight coming in through the window lit up and softened the normally stern features. He had never seen Seto in this way before and it was… perplexing. He found it frightened him.

It seemed a long time before they left the room. When they did, they went straight back to Seto's room without a word spoken between them. It wasn't until they were settled back between the sheets that Katsuya found the courage to try speaking again, "Do ya wanna, er, y'know, talk?"

"No. In fact, I'd prefer if you would forget that anything at all happened tonight."

Katsuya blinked. Forget about it? How the hell was he supposed to do that when he could still _feel_ the bruises around his neck? He frowned, "Was it the nightmare? Is that why you wanted t'see Mokuba?"

Seto turned his back on Katsuya without answering. This only caused Katsuya to worry more. Where was the angry comeback? The 'I told you to forget about it, Mutt', or some such line? Something had to be terribly wrong with Seto. Katsuya faced Seto's back, frowning in concern at it. Slowly he raised a hand and laid it gently on the bare back in what he hoped was a comforting way, "Kaiba?"

Muscles tensed slightly under his hand, but that was all the response he received. Katsuya, still frowning, carefully stroked the surprisingly soft skin with the tips of his fingers without really realizing what he was doing. He didn't like be left in the dark, especially since whatever was bothering Seto had almost killed _him_. But what could Seto have dreamt about that would shake him up this much? Katsuya thought about it, gazing absently at the back of the other's neck. Whenever _he_ had a bad dream, it was always about past memories. The majority of them being one of three things: His father; the day his mother and Shizuka left him, and the days he spent on the streets with the gangs. Had Seto been dreaming about bad memories? It was very likely. Especially since he had heard the name 'Gozaburo' slip out of the dreaming teen's mouth more than once that night.

Katsuya had heard many rumors in the past about Gozaburo. According to those rumors, the man had been a ruthless businessman. He had been an evil man who produced war technology and dealt in underhanded business, even using his own family to get his way. Years before his death, he had adopted Seto and Mokuba and had apparently been training Seto to take over the business. Then there was his mysterious death reported as suicide. Many rumors had sprung up from that, most accusing Seto himself of shoving the hated man out of the window. Katsuya wasn't sure whether or not he believed that one, but anything was possible. If it was true, he was sure Seto must have had a good reason. Especially since Gozaburo was not what Katsuya would call the ideal father figure. If Seto was having nightmares about his adopted father, Katsuya could completely sympathize considering Katsuya's relationship with his own father.

Unsure if it was smart to bring it up, Katsuya nevertheless asked in a low voice, "Was it about Gozaburo?"

The reaction was instantaneous. Seto turned over and shoved Katsuya down into the mattress, his hands once again finding the smaller teen's throat, "Shut up! What do you know!"

Katsuya gasped, tugging at the chokehold until Seto's hands loosened enough for him to breathe and speak, "I-I'm sorry! But… but I thought…"

"No, you don't think. You never do. You're nothing but a fucking idiot mutt who is not even worthy enough to piss on my lawn much less to speak to me as though we're equals! So shut you're yapping fucking mouth!" Seto's voice rose with each word until he was shouting in Katsuya's face, blue eyes blazing with fierce anger.

Katsuya's eyes widened as he heard this. It hurt. God, it hurt. He had only been trying to help! And Seto had to go yelling all those insults at him. What hurt the most, though, was that every word was true.

Katsuya's fist flew out at Seto and the brunette rolled off of him, hand to his cheek with a surprised expression of pain. Shuddering with anger and humiliation, Katsuya clenched the quilt tightly and pulled it over his head, turning away from Seto. It wasn't fair! Why did he have to be stuck with this heartless bastard? Why did Seto have to remind him of those painful truths that his own father liked to bring up on a daily basis? He wished more than ever that there was a way to escape from Seto. To get away and just run until all the pent up shame and self-hatred were overcome with exhaustion.

Shaking, he curled up and closed his eyes. Maybe he'd just sleep and in the morning he could act as though nothing had happened tonight. Seto was likely to do just that, anyway. Katsuya gritted his teeth, willing away the humiliation he was feeling at Seto's words. He had just been trying to help! That's all! Fuck Seto anyway. Fuck everyone. He didn't need them and he certainly didn't care what Seto thought of him. They were rivals anyway. They hated each other.

"Jounouchi…?" Seto's voice drifted through the blanket barrier, causing Katsuya to cringe and curl up further. He didn't want to hear what the other had to say. Not if it was just going to be more insults. More pain. Seto tried again, though, "I… Jounouchi… Come out of there."

Hah. Like he would listen to that fucking jerk. Kaiba fucking Seto could just go fuck himself. Katsuya didn't reply, forcing himself to think about other things instead. Happier thoughts. Like his friends, arcade games, food, sleepovers at Hiroto's or Yuugi's, Shizuka… He didn't realize he was crying until he felt the pillow under his face dampen, tears sliding rapidly down his cheeks, his shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs.

"J-Jounouchi?" Seto's stutter was almost enough to make Jounouchi want to laugh hysterically. He refused to answer. Seto would only start yelling at him again, anyway, so what was the point? He hated him. _Hated_ the fucking cold-hearted prick. He wanted to go home, even if home meant facing his dad again. As long as he was away from Seto, he didn't care. He felt pressure on his shoulder, a hand, then he heard, "I'm sorry, Jounouchi. I… I didn't mean it."

The apology alone was enough to shock Katsuya into speaking, "L-like h-hell ya didn'! Ju-Jus' leave me alone!"

The hand on his shoulder moved gently down his arm. Fiercely, Katsuya tried to shake it away, but Seto ignored his weak attempts, and sighed, "I didn't. I was just… not thinking. Ironic, isn't it?"

"It… it doesn't matter, anyway," Katsuya choked out, huddling further into the blankets, the need to escape growing more and more painful, "Y-you were only s-saying the… the t-truth. The fucking t-truth."

Hiroto. He wanted Hiroto so badly to be here. Hiroto was strong; he always knew what to say and how to bring Katsuya out of this horrible despair. It hurt. Shit, did it ever _stop_ hurting? But the protective brunette wasn't here and Katsuya was forced to face it alone. The truth… the truth was… he was weak. So weak. Just as everyone always told him he was.

The blankets were suddenly torn from his grip and once again he found himself flipped onto his back, Seto hovering over him, so close because of the leash's limited length. Katsuya stared up, shocked. He could still feel the degrading tears running down his face and yet he couldn't seem to stop them. It was mortifying to have his rival see them. Seto glared down at him, a furious expression on his face, "It _wasn't_ the truth, you idiot. That's what I was trying to say. Why would you think – "

"Because it _is_ true!" Katsuya shouted back, his voice rising into a sob which didn't help his frame of mind any, "I _am_ an idiot. I-I'm just a fucking weakling. Look at me! I-I… I'm crying! Fuck! J-just let me go! Just…"

And then Katsuya found it impossible to say anything else. At first, he wasn't sure why that was. His mind just couldn't comprehend what was happening. Slowly it began to dawn on him.

Seto was kissing him.

_Kissing_ him! Katsuya's tearful eyes widened, feeling the firm pressure against his lips. All of a sudden he forgot how to breathe. Kissing… what… Seto? No… But he couldn't deny it. Seto's face was so close he could make out blurred details of every little feature. Especially his dark, thick eyelashes covering his eyes. 'Weird' was the only thought that drifted through Katsuya's dazed mind.

It seemed to last forever and yet was over in only a few short seconds. The pressure was gone and Katsuya was staring blankly up into those familiar clear blues. Seto smirked a little, his hand gently brushing back the bangs from the stunned Katsuya's forehead, "It was the only way I could think of to calm you down."

Katsuya blinked, speechless as his mind tried desperately to reboot and start telling him what to do next. Had that really happened? Did it mean anything? It couldn't… "G-get offa me." When Seto didn't move, he added a quiet 'please?' to his request.

Seto finally listened to him and slid down to lie beside him, thankfully not touching him. They had been _kissing_. Katsuya's hand reached up, seemingly with a mind of its own, and covered his mouth as though to feel the memory of it. It didn't happen. It couldn't have. He wanted to punch Seto again.

"Pup?"

"Y-you… you…"

"I kissed you?"

Damn. How could Seto say that so bluntly? Katsuya felt a strong, sudden urge to throw-up but quickly regained control over his stomach. Unable to meet Seto's gaze, he closed his own eyes and shook his head, "W-why?"

"I told you. To calm you." Seto replied, his voice low.

Katsuya shivered, feeling the other's breath against his ear. Stop it. Stop it… He jerked his head away. He didn't want this. It changed everthing! Even if it didn't mean anything, Seto should never have touched him like that! It was wrong… it was… oh god, he really was going to throw-up, "B-bathroom! Toilet!"

Seto was quick to understand and they hurriedly stumbled into the adjoining bathroom. Seto tried to help Katsuya lean over the toilet but stopped sharp when the blond cringed away from his touch. Instead the brunette kneeled beside him and waited for Katsuya to empty his stomach contents into the toilet water.

"D-don't touch me," Katsuya muttered a while later after rinsing his mouth out, "Don't ever touch me like that again, you… you freak."

Seto didn't say anything, as they lay on the bed side-by-side in the dark. But even though he received no reply, Katsuya felt a small stab of guilt along with his disgust and confusion. It wasn't supposed to _be_ like this. He never would have expected… It didn't mean anything, even Seto had implied that, but still… It wasn't fair!

His…. His first kiss. Stolen by Kaiba Seto. Katsuya prayed that he would wake up to find that it had all been just a bad dream.

.-.-.-.-.-

To Be Continued… ;-)

_Bolt from (out of) the Blue: An unexpected event that strikes like lightning from the sky_

**(A/N):** -falls down and bows repeatedly- I'm sorry for taking so long with this update! I really, really am! I got so many nice reviews asking for more, and still I took forever. I didn't mean it -cries-. Okay, I'm better now, heh.Thank you so much for the reviews! I hope the kiss made up for the long wait! Well, I guess it wasn't a real kiss, but it counted for something right? Right. Poor Jou's so freaked over it, but he grew up in a homophobic household so he's allowed to be. ;-P

**mandapandabug**_"wouldn't Seto have to duck to get the candy out of the matchin? so wouldn't he pull Jou with him?"_

Aah! You're right, haha. Um, we'll just say Seto's long arms kept him from having to duck too far, so the leash wasn't pulled… or something...lol. Sometimes I forget that they're leashed together and have to do everything with a 2-foot rope between their necks, but I hope I'm doing alright in this aspect, besides this one mistake!

**squishy: **_"if you put more pairings in, 'cause you alredy have SetoxJou AND HondaxOtogi, and YamiBakuraxYamiYugi might kind of...take over"_

Wow, I didn't think of that, but I totally agree. I could see myself making that mistake, which would be bad considering this is supposed to be mainly SetoxJou. Thanks for pointing that out! With that in mind, I think I'll stick with the two couplings I have now, and if other minor pairings are mentioned they'll be YamixHikari.

Thank you again, everyone! And don't worry, I don't plan on giving up on this fic. So even though it seems I'm taking forever (did I mention, I procrastinate? S'true…lol.), be patient (or not, and tell me to get my ass in gear in those reviews ;-) and I'll get the next chap up as soon as I can.

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em!


	9. At Sixes and Sevens

**Warnings**: shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, etc...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU

**Pairings**: Future Seto/Jou; Honda/Otogi;

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas.

.-.-.-.-.-  
**Inescapable You **

Chapter 9: At Sixes and Sevens

Was this what rejection felt like? Did it always make you feel so… so mixed up inside? Like your emotions were fighting to sort themselves out, leaving your mind blank and your chest hollow. Staring blankly up at the ceiling, Seto pondered this. It still seemed completely surreal and he could almost imagine that he had dreamed the entire experience except that one look at the form beside him said otherwise. The lump of blankets had yet to move which proved that his blond companion had not gone back to sleep since. Seto, too, had been unable to get any more rest.

He wasn't sure why he felt the rejection so much. It wasn't as though he cared for Katsuya in any way, was it? He merely found the second-rate duelist slightly intriguing and, in some inexplicable way, attractive. Nothing he felt for Katsuya ran deeper than that. At least, Seto kept telling himself this. His perspective on things concerning Katsuya seemed to have gone a little askew since last night.

Unaware that it was past the usual time to get out of bed, Seto turned a little to look at where Katsuya was still hiding. He wondered why it was so hard to read Katsuya, to understand what the other teen was feeling and thinking. Reading and exploiting the emotions of people was normally a talent that came easily for Seto, which was especially useful in the business world. But Katsuya was a bit different. In general, it was not difficult to predict the hot-tempered duelist's reactions but then there were times, like now, when Seto felt lost. Katsuya just wasn't responding in the way Seto would have expected.

It was very obvious Katsuya had been appalled by the kiss. Whether it was because he had been kissed by another male or by his hated rival, Seto wasn't sure. Either way, the outcome had not been in Seto's favor. But it didn't matter. Of course it didn't. Katsuya really was only an insignificant street punk, after all.

'I only did it because I felt sorry for him. Nothing more. I do _not_ need him.'

Seto sighed, wondering whom he was trying to convince, and glanced at the clock on his other side. He stared at the red glowing numbers for a moment with blank disbelief before he saw that he hadn't mistaken the time. Was it really that late already? Mokuba was probably long up and wondering where he was. He really should get up to see Mokuba off before school. But that would mean interacting with Katsuya in some way. Something he would really prefer to avoid for a while longer if possible.

No. That was stupid and weak. He was taught to face and defeat problems as they arose, not evade them. As if to prove this to himself, Seto rolled over completely and reconstructed his infamous glare and stony expression. He would act as though last night had never happened. Reaching out, he took a handful of blankets and pulled them down to reveal the lithe, tanned body curled up tight beneath; the upper body bare with low slung pajama pants concealing the lower half. Seto couldn't help but stare for a moment before he slammed the forming thoughts out and focused only on getting out of bed, "We're late, Mutt. Classes start in ten minutes."

He had not expected a response, thinking Katsuya would have stopped acknowledging his very existence after what he had done to him. However, the unpredictable blond surprised him when he, with his back still facing Seto, lifted a hand above his shoulder with only one finger raised in a particularly rude gesture. While it was somewhat a relief to know he wasn't being ignored completely, it was obvious that he was going to receive very little cooperation today.

"How _very_ mature," Seto drawled, rolling his eyes a little as he carefully considered his next move, "Are you planning on staying in bed to sulk for the rest of your life then?" No response. On to plan B then, "Of course you do realize you are only proving my theory that you are just a spineless, pathetic dog who cannot face the consequences of his actions – "

"Of _my_ actions! You're the one who… who… you fucking bastard!"

Well. That certainly was a response. Seto carefully kept his expression neutral as he watched the red-faced Jounouchi pant in anger, his amber eyes sparked with rage and a thousand other emotions. They faced each other heatedly for a minute before Seto smirked with calculated disdain, "I am the one who what? Be civilized for once and finish your sentences."

"Sh-shut up. Why are you such a prick? Huh?" Katsuya snarled while he pulled away as far as possible from the goading brunette, "Why can't ya jus' leave me _alone_?.! You're always in my face an'… and I _hate_ it! I hate it, okay! I d-don't want it… I don't!"

The change was sudden and Seto was far from prepared when the other's reddened face began to crumble into fearful desperation. But Seto repeated Katsuya's words in his head and realized something important. He dropped the smirk and asked seriously, hoping for a truthful answer, "But do you hate me?"

Eyes widening, Katsuya hesitated and stared at Seto anxiously. Seto refused to take back the question. While he told himself that he did not care one way or the other he still felt it was important to know. Slowly, Katsuya's expression melted into a bemused frown and he suddenly seemed to find the pillow a lot more interesting to stare at, "I don't think so… I mean, I don't think I've ever _hated_ ya… not really. Jus' the things you say to me."

Seto's expression remained unaltered but he was shocked to find himself feeling unexplainably elated at the other's words. Katsuya did not hate him. As long as that remained true it gave Seto a chance to… to what exactly? Well, it was something to think about in any case. Still doubtful, Seto prodded further, "Even now? You are afraid of me, at least."

"Am not!" was Katsuya's quick retort, his eyes rising to meet Seto's heatedly, "You're so fuckin' full of yourself. I'm not afraid. But you can't jus' expect me to… to want… to feel… Dammit! Why're ya doing this to me, huh? 'Just another way t'fuck with my head, right? Ya couldn't have meant it, not with me."

Seto wanted to laugh at how Katsuya always seemed to dance around the subject without actually admitting that there had been a kiss at all. No matter what Katsuya said, Seto could see he was afraid of it. Of what he might be feeling. Opening his mouth in preparation to provoke the blond further, Seto felt the words catch in his throat when he caught the other's eyes with his own once again. There was anger and resentment, certainly, and perhaps a bit of fear, but there was also something else lurking within the honey-brown depths. Something desperate. Seto frowned at Katsuya, "Why could I not have meant it with yourself?"

"What?" Katsuya appeared taken aback by this question, as though he had expected the answer to be obvious.

Seto's eyes narrowed speculatively. He did not like the new sides of Katsuya he had been discovering over these past few days. Insecurity was not a trait that he would ever have associated in the past with sociable, headstrong Jounouchi Katsuya. He had seen Katsuya around his father and could understand to an extent how the boy's self-esteem had suffered but still, could the damage really be as intense and deep as it was beginning to seem?

Before Seto could reply, a new voice intruded on their awkward conversation, "'Niisama? Are you guys awake?" Mokuba curiously poked his head through the doorway. The moment he spotted Seto, who was obviously wide-awake, he threw the door open and bounded across the room to the bed, "Why aren't you up? Are you sick? You'll be late! _I'll_ be late! Have you been fighting with Jou again?"

Seto took his brother's sudden appearance in stride, quite used to his exuberant nature. As Mokuba leapt onto the enormous bed with an equally enormous smile, Seto tiredly shook his head, "What could possibly have you this excited so early in the morning?"

"The fact that we are _supposed_ to leave for school in five minutes but you are _still_ in bed!" Mokuba exclaimed with wild gestures to prove his point, "You _never_ sleep in. What was I supposed to think?"

"That your brother may be human after all?"

The younger boy stuck out his tongue, "What? Human? Please don't disillusion me."

Seto rolled his eyes. Katsuya said nothing, still sulking as far as Seto could see. With a short sigh, he pushed Mokuba off his legs and faced him seriously, "Explain to Jounouchi my view on careless actions."

"Er…" an uneasy expression crossed the boy's face as he glanced at Katsuya, but after an encouraging nod from his older brother who understood the hesitation, Mokuba said quietly, "A Kaiba always acts deliberately, although the reasons for his actions may not be apparent to anyone but himself."

It sounded like Mokuba was quoting someone word-for-word but Seto nodded and turned his head to look at the blond teenager, "Gozaburo taught us that every action has its consequences. I rarely make rash decisions."

Katsuya's head snapped up at this, "Gozaburo? But…?" then his expression changed to one of awareness, "It was _deliberate_!"

"What was?" Mokuba bounced agitatedly, confused and looking back and forth between the two older boys.

Seto smirked, "And _it_ was no joke. I would never do so in such an unsubtle way."

"I… I don't understand," Katsuya shook his head, now avoiding eye contact with the other.

"Well, that makes two of us then," huffed Mokuba. The youngest Kaiba crossed his arms and sat back to pout at being left out.

It was too difficult to really talk with his younger brother in the room. Plus, now that he had given Katsuya something to think about, it was time to drop the subject for a while. Stretching his arms, Seto nudged Mokuba, "I don't want you to be late for school so you had better get moving. Tell the driver to come back for Jounouchi and I after he drops you off."

"Oh… fine," Mokuba sighed, sliding off the bed with a small glare at his brother, "But you're not setting a very good example for me. I happen to know you skip classes a lot."

"When you are the CEO of a multi-national corporation, I will allow you to miss a few days of school," Seto assured him with an amused smirk, "Now stop delaying the inevitable."

"Yeah, yeah. See ya guys later," the resigned young teen left the room with an exaggerated scowl fixed in his expression.

Silence immediately descended upon the room, leaving the two remaining teenagers in awkward company. Seto shifted his eyes to glance at Katsuya and found the blond studiously examining his hands in an obvious effort to ignore the CEO. Carefully he observed Katsuya's profile from the corner of his eye, trying not to make it obvious he was staring. What was it about the hot-tempered, streetwise duelist he found so intriguing? Attractive, even? In the past, 'though he rarely ever had the time nor energy for romantic affairs, Seto had always been attracted to the young, clean-cut sons daughters of wealthy clients. But now… Why Jounouchi Katsuya? There was nothing the money-deprived teen could offer him. Not power, nor status, nor security. So _why_?

"We should go," Seto finally decided, "The car will be back soon," Katsuya gave no indication that he had heard. His head was still lowered; shoulders hunched slightly as though there was something he was trying to protect himself from. Seto came to the conclusion that being ignored by Katsuya was possibly one of the most maddening things in the world. Irritated, the brunette scowled, "Well?"

"I-didn't-mean-it."

The words came suddenly and Seto was unsure if he had heard correctly, "… didn't mean what?" Perhaps Katsuya was finally losing it.

The blond head shook; hands clenching the blankets in his lap, "I – I didn't mean ta call ya a… a freak. Last night."

"Oh?" raising his eyebrows enquiringly, Seto pondered this sort-of-apology, wondering what had brought it on. He was quite sure that Katsuya _had_ meant exactly what he'd said last night. And justly so. Of course, Seto would have rather kept the memory of it buried instead of talking it out at the moment. He watched Katsuya's knuckles rapidly whiten, "I don't care. Let's get ready for – "

"No!"

Seto's head snapped up, hearing the ferocity in that one word. Something was wrong. He tried to look at Katsuya's face but it was stubbornly hidden beneath the other's long bangs. The rest of the teen's body was trembling with some strong emotion, putting Seto on edge, "Jounouchi…"

Katsuya shook his head harder while hunching further down, "No, I – I just… I didn't mean it. I only… I don't wanna be like him. I don't wanna think like… like… But he's my father, yanno? So what'm I supposed to…? How can I just forget…?"

So that's what he's afraid of. It surprised Seto that Katsuya was so willing to divulge his fears to his long-time rival but maybe it was just the stress of everything catching up. In fact, he must be feeling the stress an awful lot himself for saying what he was about to, "My stepfather was homophobic."

There was a pause and then Seto was finally rewarded with the sight of a single, wide amber eye peeking out at him, "G-Gozaburo?"

"Yes," Seto confirmed, steeling himself against the tumult of angry emotions he felt just at the thought of his evil stepfather, "Homophobe. Bigot. All-round hateful man. I tend to believe I grew attracted to the same sex just to spite him."

Katsuya snorted with amusement, "'Wouldn't put it past ya," then he tensed up again, "You… You're not, like, attracted to… to…"

"To you?" Seto finished, smirking at the other's reddening cheeks. Did the mutt actually expect him to admit to something like that? Even if it might be true, there was no way Katsuya would know. With a completely straight face, he said, "Don't worry, pup, you're not my type."

"Oh…" was that a hint of disappointment Seto heard? "Yeah, 'guess I wouldn't be, right? I doubt I'm anyone's type."

Seto frowned at the self-pity and bitterness the other's voice overflowed with. It filled him with unreasonable anger, "Why are you speaking this way about yourself? I have never seen you act like this. If you are just looking for pity, I can tell you right now that you won't find any here."

Katsuya flinched at Seto's words, turning his face away from the brunette. When he looked back at Seto again, he was grinning, albeit a little too brightly, his entire expression seeming to have transformed in mere seconds. It completely unnerved Seto who only stared back with widened eyes at this unexpected change. The blond laughed a little, 'though it sounded empty, "I'm fine. Don't need anyone's pity, 'specially _yours_. Let's get ready for school now, ne? I think we're already missing homeroom."

What the hell was _this_ all about? Seto did not move or answer as he studied Katsuya's much too cheerful grin. Was this how the seemingly outgoing blond fooled his friends into thinking everything was perfect for him? Then he caught sight of Katsuya's eyes. While the rest of him appeared casual and happy, his eyes were still unnaturally filled with shadows and self-loathing.

"Yuug' an' the gang are probably wondering where we are," Katsuya went on a little nervously when Seto failed to respond, "Ya don't want 'em dropping in on you again, do ya? So we bettah go."

Seto did not like what Katsuya was doing one bit. He recognized the tactic, of course. Masks and diversions were something Seto was very familiar with having used them all his life. Biting his tongue against saying anything he really would regret, Seto only gestured for Katsuya to follow him as they began their now familiar morning routine of dressing and washing up. If Katsuya wanted to play this game then Seto was not going to show he cared. Not at all.

As they headed downstairs for a quick bite to eat, Katsuya prattled on nonstop the entire time about nothing in particular. It was as though he were trying to make Seto forget their recent serious conversation. In turn, Seto ignored him. He knew it was wrong for Katsuya to be acting this way. It didn't make things better for anyone, especially himself. How long had this been going on for? Seto knew only all too well how easy it was to break under such pressure but it wasn't as though Katsuya would listen to him. Especially now. And so the first thing he did when they arrived at school was to pull an astonished Honda Hiroto out of class and drag both the shorter teens to the school rooftop where all three could converse in complete privacy.

-.-.-.-.-.-

About midmorning, a pair of snickering teens snuck across the lawn of a certain rundown apartment building. They climbed the steps inside and ran through a dimly lit hallway. Quietly they approached the door with a crooked nametag reading 'Jounouchi'. One of the boys reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of folded paper. Grinning towards his companion, he slid the paper through the crack under the door.

"Who better to keep them apart than his old man?"

They left the building laughing, hoping it wouldn't take long for the father to find their note.

-.-.-.-.-.-

The breeze coming across the school roof felt nice and cool on Katsuya's heated face. It only reddened further as he thought about what his classmates must think after Seto had barged into the classroom with Katsuya in tow and dragged poor Hiroto back out with them. Now he was alone with his best friend and… Kaiba. He'd been in worse situations but they were eluding him at the moment.

"Tell me what's going on, right now," Hiroto demanded, staring between the other two teens with a perplexed expression, "What the heck is so important that you felt the need to bring me up here?"

"Look at him," was all Seto replied with, his voice devoid of emotion.

Katsuya shrugged uncomfortably as his friend's gaze fell directly on him. He tried to keep the grin firmly in place, tried to appear nonchalant and cheerful, but the moment his eyes met the other's searching hazel ones all was lost. Hiroto's expression darkened and, with a curse, he moved to stand in front of the blond, "What happened? Did Kaiba…? Dammit, I told you to come to me right away if you felt…" he trailed off with a cautious glance in Seto's direction.

He should have known that he would be like an open book to Hiroto, the person who knew him better than anyone. It hurt though. He didn't want to worry any of his friends, least of all Hiroto right now. It had been a mistake to be so open with Seto. A big mistake. Biting his lower lip, Katsuya tilted his head down to hide his face. Why _had_ he said so much to his rival? The one who had dared to kiss him? He now felt humiliated and anxious. Seto could use the information against him so easily.

"Jou? Tell me what happened, okay?" Hiroto prodded, obviously worried by Katsuya's lack of response, "I'll help you take care of this bastard if he did anything to…"

"I'm fine, Hond', really," Katsuya tried to reassure him, still hiding his eyes from the other in case they showed he was lying, "We just had a fight, nothing unusual."

He could feel the pressure building up inside of him, overwhelming his senses. So much was happening he couldn't control. His father was bad enough but now he had to worry about what Seto could do to him. And he couldn't stop thinking about last night. About the reasons the compassionless CEO could have for kissing him. It was all just… too much. He needed some time alone. Some time away from everything so he could rebuild his defenses. As it stood, he was liable to snap any moment, especially with Hiroto fussing over him.

A warm hand rested on his forehead, brushing away some of his thick bangs before sliding down his cheek and under his chin. Slowly he was forced to raise his chin until he came face-to-face with Hiroto. The moment their eyes met something seemed to break inside of Katsuya. The pressure became too much and his chest heaved with the effort to hold back. His body was beginning to shake again, 'Oh god, not now. Not now, not in front of Kaiba.'

"What's wrong, Jou? It's alright to tell me, you know that. Just ignore him and look at me, okay?"

He wanted to tell Hiroto about everything. About last night and the kiss and all the confusion he was feeling. But when he tried to, he found he couldn't get the words out. How would Hiroto react to hearing about it? He might try to start a fight with Seto right then and there and Katsuya was unsure if he could handle being in the middle of that right now. Plus, Seto was standing right there listening in on their conversation. It was doubtful that Seto would want anyone knowing about his sexual preferences, not when he had his company to care for. So instead of saying anything, Katsuya took a step forward, closing the small distance between him and Hiroto to rest his forehead against the brunette's shoulder.

Hiroto sighed and slowly brought his hands up, one resting against Katsuya's back and the other cradling the his head, "I hate it when you won't talk."

"I know," Katsuya muttered into the fabric of Hiroto's school uniform. Already he was beginning to feel the panic seep away and peace return. It always felt good to have Hiroto with him, a familiar anchor in all this uncertainty. But suddenly it wasn't Hiroto's arms around him but Seto's. Memories returned of Seto holding him after he panicked at his father's place the other day. Sitting in the stairwell on the other's lap, the brunette comforting him in a way that he could never have imagined possible. Why would Seto do such a thing if he hated Katsuya? And then… last night…

"Jou?"

Hearing the concern in Hiroto's voice, Katsuya sighed and pulled away. This time when he smiled it was genuine, not the desperate attempt to hide his fears, "I'll be okay for now, Hond'. Just tryin' to figure things out is all."

"What things?" the other asked sharply, obviously not buying it.

"Mostly myself, I guess," Katsuya shrugged, feeling uncomfortable as he remembered the previous confusion and trepidation over everything that was happening recently, "And Kaiba, 'course."

Now that the panic over facing Seto after the drama last night had receded, Katsuya found himself thinking more clearly. Hiroto's presence had especially helped because it had taken Seto's focus away from him for the moment. He knew he had probably overreacted, especially this morning, but what was a guy supposed to do when the one who constantly antagonized him decides to steal his first real kiss? Especially when it caused him to begin questioning whether or not he wanted it to happen again! And Seto was a _guy_, damn it. Not that he had anything against other people being gay, but he certainly didn't want to be. It would just… it couldn't work.

Running a shaky hand through his hair roughly, Katsuya shook his head and looked Hiroto in the eye, "I can't tell ya what's goin' on yet. It's… too confusing, ya know? Can ya wait 'til I got it mostly sorted out?"

He could tell Hiroto did not like it but he nodded anyway, "Fine. You know you can get a hold of me any time though, right? I'll even stay with you if you need me to, if this guy's bugging you too much."

Katsuya grinned and nodded, appreciating the other's offer. It always helped to know he wasn't alone. Taking a deep breath, he said to Hiroto, "Hey, buddy, do ya think ya could go downstairs so I can talk to him Kaiba for a moment? We'll join you in a sec."

Surprisingly, Hiroto didn't try to argue. He just gave Seto a look full of warning and patted Katsuya's back before heading down into the school. Alone once again with Seto, Katsuya shoved down the rapidly returning apprehension and faced the blue-eyed CEO with what he hoped was a stern expression, "Since we're stuck together for a while longer, I can't just ignore ya, so how 'bout we jus' forget 'bout last night altogether. Let things go back to normal, okay?"

Seto stared at him expressionlessly for a second before raising a fine eyebrow skeptically, "Normal? So you want me to go back to calling you a 'Mutt', then."

"Oh, er… not really," god, anything but that disgusting reference to dogs, "Maybe you could stop with that."

"Oh?" Seto's other eyebrow rose to its twin's height in mock surprise, "But you want to continue fighting with me. You want me to continue with the other insults and thinking you just an ignorant street-punk and second-rate duelist, correct?"

Feeling his face flush in both embarrassment and frustration, Katsuya gritted his teeth in an effort to avoid hitting the other teen, "_No_. I _don't_."

"Fine. You tell me what _normal_ for us is, then. For apparently I cannot recall it to your satisfaction," Seto said with a straight face, crossing his arms nonchalantly.

"Just…" Katsuya frowned, trying to remember what he wanted to say. He wished things to go back to normal but… not like how it used to be. That didn't make any sense. He was sure he did not want them to go back to being enemies. It was impossible, anyway, after this past week of almost getting along with each other. He sighed in defeat and shook his head, "You're right. 'Guess I'm just being stupid."

"No, you were trying to find an easy way out of an undesirable situation," Seto disagreed, surprising Katsuya who was expecting the brunette to make some offensive comment about mutts and stupidity.

The bell for the end of homeroom could be faintly heard below them and the wind was beginning to pick up again but neither moved. Katsuya wished, not for the first time, that Seto's eyes would show something in them other than the usual arctic ice. It would be so much nicer if Seto could just give away what he was feeling like everyone else. Of course, that would be too simple, and there was something about Seto's complexity that had always drawn Katsuya, as much as he hated to admit it.

"Well," Katsuya finally muttered, ducking his head in embarrassment, "What d'ya suggest then?"

"I suggest we head off to class before your overprotective friends come looking for you."

That was it? Just go to class and pretend that everything was fine and dandy between them? Then again, it wasn't like they were making any progress up here on the roof, so what the hell. At least it would give him a chance to think. He shrugged one shoulder and relented. As they walked to the door that lead to the stairwell Katsuya couldn't resist asking one more question, something that had been plaguing him, for some reason, ever since they had left the house, "Uh, Kaiba? I was just wondering, um…"

Seto glanced at him, "Just spit it out, pup. We don't have much time."

The 'pup' caught him off guard, and something about it bothered him, but he decided to let it pass for more pressing concerns, "What _is_ your, ah… type?"

"What are you talking… oh," the brunette frowned, slowing his pace considerably as, to Katsuya's astonishment, he seemed to seriously consider the question. They stopped just in front of the door, one of Seto's hands rested on the handle. After a brief pause, the other's unreadable blue eyes finally met Katsuya's stare, "I am afraid I'm unable to answer that currently. You see, recently I've found the need to completely reevaluate what I consider my 'type' to be."

"Oh," Katsuya blinked, unsure if he was being teased or not, "Why's that?"

Seto shot him an indecipherable look and pulled the door open. He beckoned Katsuya to follow and took the lead down the narrow, metal staircase, only answering the question over his shoulder in a terse way, "I'm sure you can figure it out yourself."

Classes went by in a blur for Katsuya. Most were too advanced for him to have any hope of understanding the material and the rest were just plain boring. It was especially hard to concentrate today when he had so many other things on his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget the feeling of Seto holding him. And then the kiss. The Kiss, as it would forever be dubbed in his head. It should not have happened, it was just wrong on so many levels. If his friends or dad ever found out…

Katsuya shivered and glanced sideways at Seto, studying the other's profile. The young genius was focused on the teacher at the front with deceiving attentiveness, a small frown marring his otherwise smooth features. What was he really thinking about? Katsuya sighed and was about to turn away when he caught sight of a female classmate who was sitting a seat away from the opposite side of Seto. She was idly tapping the end of a pencil against her notebook, not paying any mind to the lesson, but what caught Katsuya's attention was the way she gazed at Seto. A quick peek around the room showed him that she wasn't the only one. What was it that girls found so attractive about the arrogant, unfriendly CEO?

Intrigued by this mystery, and hoping it might help his own confused thoughts, Katsuya turned his eyes back to Seto's face with renewed interest. For a moment he wasn't sure what he was looking for. Well, when in doubt start from the top and work your way down, right? With this in mind, he focused on Seto's hair. Brown. No, that was too stupid. How would that girl staring at Seto describe it? How about 'a delightfully rich, dark chocolate with silky smooth texture, arranged in a deliciously handsome, mature style…' Or maybe that was a little overboard. Sounded more like dessert than the description of a mop of hair.

"What are you snickering at, pup?" Seto whispered as Katsuya fought to hold back the giggles that threaten to overwhelm him. Did girls really think that way? God, he hoped not. Then he saw Seto was glaring at him and caught sight of those dispassionate arctic blue eyes. Humor immediately fled as he thought that, if anything, Seto's eyes were his most attractive feature. They were so… intense. Deep.

Katsuya, feeling his face heat up for reasons he didn't want to admit to, bit his lip and forced himself to break eye contact. Slumping further down into the desk, he stared at his unopened notebook and fought back the sudden welling of tears. The familiar feeling of dread threatened to rise as he tried to shake away the terrifying revelation. He couldn't actually be _attracted_ to Kaiba, could he? No! It… it was impossible. He knew it was wrong because it would hurt. He would hurt so many people, himself especially, if he ever began falling for Kaiba Seto.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day and jerking Katsuya's attention back to the present. Hurriedly he threw his books into his schoolbag, avoiding even looking in Seto's direction, and tried to rush out of class. If he could just get away he could avoid this pain. He just had to get away from Seto. He wanted to be left _alone_ so he could think this through or forget it all completely. Maybe Yuugi or his darker half had figured out how the break the spell. If not, maybe he could just make a run for it and hope the invisible chain would shatter and free him.

As usual he acted without thinking first, feeling the collar that he couldn't see pull tight around his neck while he tried to get far ahead of Seto. He hardly noticed the pain, however, too intent on finding Yuugi and escaping this damned confusion that was entirely Seto's fault.

"Stop it, you idiot!" Seto hissed, grabbing his arm to pull him back. Katsuya jerked away and tried to run for it, only to be grabbed again, "What's gotten into you? Would you just stop moving for a damned second!"

"Let go!" Katsuya shouted, almost screaming with frustration as he once again was stopped by the choking collar, "I don't fuckin' want this!"

By now everyone who hadn't left the classroom yet stopped to stare at the strange pair. Seto again captured Katsuya's arm, this time to drag the frightened blond against him, holding him tight. Seto's arms wrapped forcefully around him and Katsuya found it pointless to even try resisting. Lowering his voice, the taller brunette demanded an explanation.

So here he was, in Seto's arms once again, the one place he had been hoping to avoid. In public, nonetheless. Katsuya held back a whimper and muttered almost inaudibly, "Let me go."

"No. Not until you tell me what the fuck that was all about," Seto growled, tightening his grip.

"I-I wanna find Yuug'. I want outta this… this mess," he whispered, finding it hard to breathe as the warmth from Seto's body pressed against him. It was stupid to think he could handle staying with Seto after last night. He'd thought he could do it but… it was just too much.

Seto grumbled something then glared menacingly at the gawking stragglers, "Don't you have somewhere else to be?" His icy tone quickly cleared the room until the two of them were left alone together. Then he turned his attention back to Katsuya, "What brought this on? You seemed fine until now."

"I am. I… I mean I was, but… Shit," Katsuya didn't know how to explain. He didn't want to be laughed at for such stupid thoughts and fears. He shook his head and leaned against Seto's chest without being aware that he was doing so, "This's fucked up, ain't it?"

The was a pause, almost hesitance, before Seto replied warily, "Yes. But then again, life tends to be fucked up in general."

This made Katsuya laugh softly, finding it amusing to hear Seto both agree with him and curse so casually, "Yeah. It is." How was it that the same person who riled him up so easily could also be the one to calm him down at times like this? It made no sense and yet…

"Jou-kun! There you are!"

Yuugi's voice broke the silence and Katsuya, surprised and embarrassed that he had let himself practically cuddle up to Seto, abruptly pulled away. He knew he was blushing badly but tried to pretend nothing had happened as his shorter friend practically bounced across the room towards them. Katsuya risked a quick look at Seto's face before Yuugi reached them and was startled to find a hint of disappointment there before his expression went blank.

"We were all wondering where you guys were when you didn't show up at your lockers," Yuugi was saying as he finally came to a stop, panting slightly, "So I volunteered to find you. Oh! And I have some news!"

Katsuya grinned a little at Yuugi's enthusiasm, "Oh yeah? Good or bad?"

"Er… both," the short teen grinned sheepishly, "The good news is Yami says he knows how the spell can be broken."

Katsuya stared down at his friend in shock, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. He could really be free of Seto so soon? It was just what he had been hoping for. And yet, along with his excitement, why did he feel slightly uneasy at the thought of separating?

Seto asked the next obvious question, "What is the bad news, then?"

Yuugi sighed and looked away from them guiltily, "Well… He refuses to tell me or anyone else what the secret is."

"What!" Katsuya screeched, feeling all his hopes suddenly plummet, "Why! Get him out here! Let me talk to him. I'll _make_ him tell me!"

Appearing unsurprised by the outburst, Yuugi shrugged and leaned against the nearest desk, "He won't and you'll just have to respect his decision, I guess. He explained to me that if he tells it to you then it can't happen and you'll be stuck together forever."

"I don't fuckin' believe that traitorous asshole! How can he just – "

"How did he find out?" Seto asked, making Katsuya shut up for the moment to catch the answer.

"That's the funny part. Last night Malik and Yami Bakura visited my place. They practically dragged my yami out of the house and apparently told him in private what he wanted to know," Yuugi frowned and shook his head, "It was really weird."

Seto nodded, "Obviously their intent was only to tease him. They would be safe telling him the secret to this leash if he cannot tell us anyway."

"Yeah, that's what I figured."

"But…" Katsuya looked worriedly down at Yuugi then up at Seto's scowling face, "But what're we supposed to do then?"

At this, Yuugi's smile reappeared and he happily took a hold of Katsuya's arm, "Yami said to tell you that everything will work out in the end and not to worry so much about finding the solution. It's something that will just happen naturally."

"Right," doubtful, Katsuya frowned, "_When_ will whatever it is happen? I'm tired of waiting."

"He didn't say. But really Jou-kun, living with Kaiba hasn't been _that_ bad, right?"

The hopeful look in Yuugi's wide, amethyst eyes cut off whatever argument Katsuya wanted to make and instead he sighed in defeat, "Yeah… sure. Whatever." Yuugi had no idea what he was going through here. But he'd rather not worry his friend with such personal matters so he decided to just leave it alone for now.

"See? So don't let it bother you, okay?" Yuugi grinned, hugging Katsuya's arm tightly before pulling on it, "Let's go find the others."

"Yeah, sure," they started towards the door and into the hallway but then something else came to Katsuya's mind, "Oh. Hey, Yuug'? Have ya heard from my dad at all? I'm kinda worried…"

Yuugi's face fell a little which told Katsuya all he needed to know, "Yeah. He phoned our store once yesterday. I wasn't supposed to say anything to you about it though…"

"Honda told you not to, right?" Katsuya sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets as they continued walking. Sometimes Hiroto was a little _too_ overprotective.

"What did he want?" Seto said, surprising the other two. Katsuya wanted to snap at the other, 'What do you care?' but managed to keep his mouth shut. Starting a fight in front of Yuugi was the last thing he needed right now.

"I answered when he called and the first thing he asked was where Jou-kun was hiding. I… I wasn't sure if I should tell him where you were staying. After all, if you wanted him know you'd have told him yourself, right?" Katsuya nodded when Yuugi looked at him for approval, "Yeah. Then he got mad at me. 'Said he had the right to know where his son was at… I don't understand, Jou-kun. Why can't you explain to him – "

"I tried that," Katsuya snapped, glaring at the hallway floor to avoid Yuugi's questioning eyes, "He wouldn't listen."

Seto laughed sharply, "That's an understatement of the year."

"Shut the hell up!" he did not need Yuugi finding out about their visit to his apartment. It would bring up too many questions. Besides, his dad had a right to be angry over Katsuya's sudden disappearance. He'd left the old man alone, probably without food or clean clothes and no idea when his son would be back to take care of the chores. As much as Katsuya hated living there, he hated leaving his father alone even more. Enough people had walked out on them for Katsuya to realize how much it hurt to be left on your own, so no matter how poorly his dad treated him he couldn't leave. Not for good, anyway. Although, deep in his heart, Katsuya knew that the only reason he hadn't walked out on his dad yet was because he knew he was too afraid of the consequences.

"Well," Yuugi broke through his thoughts, "You can at least phone him and let him know that you're still alive and well, right?"

"Right," he replied quietly, deciding he would do just that when they got back to the Kaiba mansion, or maybe tomorrow, no matter how much he dreaded the conversation. Especially with Seto listening in. Oh well, at least the other already had an idea what to expect of Katsuya's father. Time to change the subject though, "Where's everyone waiting, Yuug'?"

"Ryou-kun and Anzu said they'd be at your locker. And… Honda went to find Otogi. He needed to talk to him privately about something I guess."

"Ah… okay," with a frown, Katsuya looked up at Seto's face, which was as emotionless as ever, "Kaiba, are you, uh, okay with me hangin' out a bit with my friends?" He wanted some time with them. It had been days since he'd really done anything with his friends and he needed to get away from Seto's exclusive, overwhelming presence for awhile. Maybe it'd give him a chance to clear his head so he could figure out how he really felt about Seto's recent behavior.

To his relief, Seto nodded once, "I don't mind. As long as I am able to catch up on work at the office this evening."

Katsuya grinned and happily agreed with this decision, "Deal. Okay, Yuug', let's go round everyone up and head over to the arcade!"

-.-.-.-.-.-

Malik and Yami Bakura were lounging in front of the television when Yuugi's other half stormed into the Ishtar residence unannounced. The former pharaoh had a knowing smirk fixed upon his face as he strode over and looked superiorly down on them. He stood over the pair, arms crossed, without saying a word until Malik finally became irritated enough to snap at him, "What the hell do you want? No one said you were welcome here."

Raising a fine eyebrow, Yami's smirk widened, "Your sister invited me in, actually."

"So is there a reason you decided to barge in on us, Pharaoh," Bakura yawned, lazily shifting under Malik's head, which was settled quite comfortably on his stomach, "Either tell us or go the fuck away. You're ruining our movie."

Without waiting for an invitation, Yami gracefully sat himself down next to the white-haired spirit and glanced at the television screen. All he could determine was the movie contained more blood, gore and screaming than any rational person should be able to stand in one lifetime. He rolled his eyes, wondering where the two had obtained such a film, and leaned back against the cushions, "You two are, unfortunately, the only ones I can hang out with at the moment without accidentally spilling my guts. Katsuya can be quite scary when he wants something."

"Oh?" Malik looked up, all of a sudden interested, "So you haven't told?"

"I am not about to mess with such powerful magic," Yami snorted, shaking his head, "Where did you come across such an item, by the way?"

The golden-haired Egyptian shrugged casually, "From the museum's storage room. It seemed like a fun little trinket. I don't think it's all that powerful though."

Startled, Yami blinked down at the teen. When he decided that Malik was serious, he asked, "You mean, you do not know what it really is? How was it you decided to bind Kaiba and Jounouchi together, of all people?"

Pissed off at both the interruption of his movie and the Pharoah's stupid questions, Bakura slammed the 'pause' button down on the remote and turned to glare daggers at the other spirit, "Why the fuck do you _think_ we chose them?"

"Easy access and they hate each other's guts," Malik supplied with a satisfied grin, "Why'd you wanna know, _Pharoah_?"

"Oh, so it really was just you two getting into mischief," Yami began to laugh, annoying the other two even more, "Well then, for once I have to say I approve."

Staring incredulously at the giggling spirit, Bakura and Malik were speechless. Yami, the almighty ex-Pharoah with the boring holier-than-thou attitude, actually _approved_ of one of their pranks? It was unheard of. Why, it was almost sacrilegious! Slowly, Malik blinked and shook his head as though trying to clear his ears out, "Huh?"

"You agree with what we have done?" Bakura asked doubtfully.

Yami finally managed to get his humor under control but couldn't keep the smile off his face, "In this particular case with this particular item, yes I do. I suppose you do not realize that such a thing can only bind to certain pairs of people?" When they only stared blankly at him his expression grew smug, "I have a theory. Would you like to hear it?"

"Not really but I don't suppose that'll stop you from telling us," Bakura muttered, almost sulkily.

"You would be correct," Yami smirked, enjoying every bit of this. He always loved having the advantage over these two. Getting comfortable, he began with a question, "Do you remember, Tomb Robber, who Kaiba and Jounouchi were in their past lives? I cannot remember enough of my past, unfortunately, to be certain."

Bakura frowned, concentrating on the ancient memories within his mind, "Kaiba Seto was your high priest, Seth. You must be able to recall that. But the blond one… I think was in your palace as well. I ran into him once. He had darker skin then, and hair so brilliant it could be mistaken for spun gold. A bedroom slave, by his clothing, if my memories serve me right."

"I see," Yami went silent for a moment before nodding thoughtfully, "That would fit. But if I reveal this, you must swear to me that you will not reveal any of this to anybody else. It is important. The spell might never break if they find out."

Curious despite themselves, they reluctantly agreed, 'though Malik couldn't help adding, "What will happen if we break our promise?"

"I shall be obliged to cut out your tongues and force you to swallow them whole," Yami replied seriously, his eyes glinting.

"Ooh," Malik grinned, seductively crawling closer to Yami so that he was across both the spirits' laps, "I _love_ it when you're kinky."

Yami chuckled and allowed Malik to remain where he was, "I know. Now, listen to this…"

-.-.-.-.-.-

It was difficult to fall asleep that night. In the silence and covering darkness, the memories of the previous night insisted on harassing him. It was already two in the morning and Seto had yet to catch a wink of sleep. He sighed, frustrated with the long day and slow progress in regaining Katsuya's trust. It wasn't easy to deal with his blond companion, who seemed to have more mood swings than a teenage girl. Seto was trying, though. Most times he was unsure why he put up with Katsuya, then he remembered his own past and had to fight not start screaming at Katsuya to move away from his father before he was broken past repair.

The blankets shifted and the form beside him rolled over, edging closer. A soft, uncertain whisper broke the stillness, "Kaiba, 'ya 'wake?"

He thought, for a moment, about pretending to be unconscious but then decided against it. Staring up towards the ceiling, blankets bunched down around his waist, Seto quietly replied, "I am."

"Oh," another few more, seemingly endless minutes passed before Katsuya said more, "I'm sorry I puked after… yanno."

The unexpected apology made Seto chuckle. Was Katsuya feeling guilty? That might be a good sign that all was not lost. He turned over finally, facing the other boy whose face was almost lost in the shadows of the night; "I'll admit I've never had anyone respond in quite that manner to my advances before."

He caught Katsuya's tiny smile and felt, for some reason, as though a weight had lifted from his mind. The other teen sighed noisily and picked at the sheets, "I'm not… gay."

Seto frowned, "I never claimed you were."

"Yeah… but…"

"Are you afraid I'll do it again?"

More silence and then, "N-no, not really. Just… why'd you do it in the first place? The real reason, I mean?"

The real reason. The real reason was… Seto closed his eyes tightly, refusing to think about it. He wouldn't, couldn't, admit to such… such dangerous feelings. 'Never give someone an advantage over you, no matter how small.' He grimaced, knowing where the words came from. But they made sense, didn't they? Advice like that was what kept him in his top position at Kaiba Corp. for so long.

After the silence stretched over several minutes, Katsuya must have realized he wasn't going to get an answer, "I… I can't really trust ya until I get it, yanno? It… I'm still havin' a hard time dealin' with last night. An' today. You… You're jus' too…" Something seemed to catch in his throat and whatever he was trying to say never came out. And then suddenly, "But I don't hate ya."

It caught Seto by surprise. Even though Katsuya had already told him that once today, it seemed to have more conviction this time. He turned onto his back again, unable to face Katsuya any longer. Things really were becoming dangerous. It wasn't the kiss that worried him, or the way he kept feeling the need to touch Katsuya, but it was the other emotions growing inside of him that scared the shit out of him.

How could one little puppy bring out so much in him?

-.-.-.-.-.-

To Be Continued… (hopefully much faster than this one took…)

_At Sixes and Sevens: In a state of confusion or disorder_

**(A/N):** Holy crap… it sure has been a while huh? I've been busy with work and RL most of the summer with hardly any time at the computer and each time I finally did work at this chapter I decided I hated what I had previously written, deleted it all and rewrote… Gah! So many rewrites! Still not sure if I like it… (pout). You tell me, lol. But wow! So many reviews, you people are amazing! I was starting to feel so guilty (which is a good thing, believe me) that I finally decided it HAD to be out tonight before I start packing for the move to where I'm going to school, otherwise the update would have probably taken another few weeks. So yeah… Hope it all made sense haha.

Don't worry. Take deep breaths. I'm definitely still working on this, see? Hehe. Thanks for the encouragement, guilt trips and ideas! Since I'm so bad with updates, without your reviews I'd have probably given up long ago.

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em!


	10. Thrown to the Lions

**Warnings**: shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, etc...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU

**Pairings**: Future Seto/Jou; Honda/Otogi;

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas.

-.-.-.-.-.-  
**Inescapable You **

Chapter 10: Thrown to the Lions

Katsuya's dreams had always been filled with monsters. Not the beasts with physically frightening forms that haunt every child's sleeping mind once in a while, but something more terrifying and permanent. His monsters were formed out of the overwhelming feelings of guilt and failure trapped within him. While he tried his best to disregard them during the hours he was awake, his subconscious refused to let him sleep in peace. Sharing a bed with someone now made it all that much more difficult since he knew his nightmares made him a restless sleeper. Countless times in the past he had woken up at some ungodly hour shaking and sweating, his heart and head pounding from nightmares he could not fully recall. It was impossible to gain any more rest those nights. It made him feel stupid being scared awake like this, like some little kid who needed his mommy to make the bad things disappear. It was one of the things he felt he could never reveal to his friends, except Hiroto who knew from their many sleepovers, without being humiliated for the rest of his life. He was so afraid that Seto would ask questions or make some snide comment about why he could never just sleep _quietly_. It wasn't possible that Seto hadn't noticed by now.

Trying not to fidget or even breathe too loud, Katsuya wearily turned his head to the side, facing the still peacefully sleeping brunette. It was one of those bad nights for Katsuya. He was tired but he was too nervous to close his eyes again. He knew he was just being silly about it all but-- Swallowing hard, Katsuya pushed the thoughts from his head and only focused on Seto's shadowed face. It was strange to have someone so close to him, in bed with him. So close he almost ached to give in to the comfort Seto might be able to offer him in his arms. He could remember the times, so many years ago, where he would often allow his sister into his bed at night after she had a bad dream and needed him to reassure her. Pulling her close to share his warmth, kissing the top of her adorable head and telling her,

_'It's okay, sis, they're jus' dreams. They can't really hurt ya. I'd nevah let 'em hurt ya…'_

Katsuya blinked hard, feeling his eyes dampen at the memories. She was lucky. Nobody had ever said such words to him, had ever hugged the nightmares away for him. Shivering, he pulled the comforter up higher, seeking warmth from the sudden chills inside of him. He knew why it had been worse for him tonight than usual. All the confusion surrounding his emotions towards Seto lately only served to add to the pressure he felt everyday. He still didn't know why Seto had kissed him, and the other refused to tell him, making it difficult to trust his motives. After all, they had been rivals for so long. How did he know that Seto wasn't just setting him up? Was it even possible to trust someone like Kaiba Seto?

Disturbed by these depressing thoughts, Katsuya half-heartedly glared at Seto. Feeling peevish when Seto remained unmoved in his deep slumber, he shifted his face closer to the other's, almost nose to nose, and whispered as quietly as possible, "Yer an asshole, makin' me feel like this. A real asshole."

This close, Katsuya could make out more of the other's features through the darkness. They were softened from the usual stern rigidity, more relaxed than Katsuya would have believed possible. It made Katsuya smile as he recalled the moments in the past few days where Seto seemed almost friendly in spite of everything. Was it possible he'd been wrong about Seto? Yuugi had always told him there was more to people than what they showed on the surface, but Katsuya found it hard to believe in things like that without proof. Experience taught him that people were often exactly what they appeared to be, sometimes even worse.

"Maybe I'm wrong, Kaiba. Maybe it's worth tryin' to get t'know ya better. Even…" Katsuya's voice caught. It was too hard…

Then Seto frowned in his sleep and casually threw his arm over Katsuya's waist, catching the blond completely off guard. It was the first movement Seto had made since falling asleep. Scared to wake Seto, Katsuya nervously tried to shift away but only succeeded in making Seto pull him closer and tighten his hold.

"K-Kaib'?" Katsuya stuttered softly, wondering if the other was really awake. When Seto didn't say anything or open his eyes, Katsuya was stuck on what to do next. He was almost flush against Seto's chest now and could feel his face growing hot as he realized his position. Should he try to wake Seto? Should he yell out?

The heat coming from Seto's body was what finally decided Katsuya. Once he realized he didn't feel the horrible, bone-deep chill anymore, he couldn't move from the spot. It was… nice. Even if Seto was unconscious. Actually, it was probably better that way since it gave Katsuya an excuse to stay in such a questionable position. Katsuya tried not to think about it too much, knowing all the fears and guilt would come flying back if he did. Instead he closed his eyes and tried to relax, feeling almost comfortable with Seto's arm draped around him. He could imagine he was being held to help ease his nightmares away like he had done with Shizuka. It was wonderful and for the first time in years, Katsuya felt he would be able to return to sleep after all.

He unconsciously nuzzled against Seto's neck, hiding a contented smile, and finally felt sleep slowly descend upon him. Unaware that he was saying his subconscious thoughts aloud, Katsuya innocently mumbled into Seto's skin, "Don't leave me."

-.-.-.-.-.-

Slowly cracking one eye open, Seto gazed down at the lean, golden-haired boy curled up against him. A smile tugged at his lips as he thought over all that he had heard Katsuya whisper to him that night. The feelings the other inspired in him were strange and frightening but Seto couldn't care less at the moment, although he would probably regret it in the morning.

Wrapping his arm tighter around Katsuya, Seto sighed softly and let his eye shut again. Just before he too fell asleep, he answered quietly, quite aware of what he was saying but refusing to dwell on it, "I won't."

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hey, wake up."

Katsuya frowned a little as a voice penetrated the sleepy fog in his mind followed by a sharp poke in the arm. Slowly and with much effort, he started to become aware of his surroundings, memories returning of where he was and why. The hard surface of the desk beneath his cheek was slightly damp and, embarrassed by this, Katsuya finally sat up and wiped the drool from the side of his face.

"Lazy pup."

"Shaddup, Moneybags," Katsuya grumbled, still not fully awake. With eyes still half-closed he glanced across the large office desk, almost surprised to see the other person still sitting there. He tried to glare at the smirking CEO of Dungeons Dice Monsters, but it came out groggy at best.

"No wonder you never learn anything useful," said Ryuuji mockingly. "Maybe if you stayed awake long enough, you would. Oh, and did you know you snore? Loudly?"

With a growl, suddenly feeling wide-awake, Katsuya began to lunge across the desk in a rush to show the infuriatingly stuck-up Ryuuji exactly what he thought of those comments. He was held back, however, when a strong hand gripped his arm and pulled him back into the seat.

"Let go of me! I'll show that dice-fer-brains just – "

Seto tightened his hold, making Katsuya halt his rant with a slight wince. "Idiot. If you want to start fights with people, wait until we are not attached at the neck."

Katsuya only crossed his arms huffily and glowered down at the desktop. Great. Stuck in a room with not one but two self-important CEOs. It was not a position anyone would voluntarily want to be in.

In a chair beside him, Seto shifted forward and slid a large folder of papers towards Ryuuji. "Here is everything else you will need. If you have any remaining questions you may contact me through my secretary."

"Thank you, Kaiba-san." Ryuuji stood up and bowed slightly before straightening into his usual arrogant stance. "By the way," he added, almost casually, "your puppy is very adorable when it pouts like that."

Oh, he was _so_ dead. "Otogi! You fuckin' ass! Come here an' say that to my face!"

Again Seto restrained him, though not without a bit more effort this time. Irritably, he snapped at Ryuuji, "Stop asking for trouble and get out of my building before I rethink our deal."

Unexpectedly, the other's smirk slipped away but instead of doing as Seto had told him, Ryuuji walked around the desk and stopped beside the fuming Katsuya. He looked down at Katsuya who was still struggling to control his temper. "Jounouchi. I…"

The hesitance in Ryuuji's voice made Katsuya's anger give way to shock. He'd never heard the proud CEO speak to _him_ with such a tone. Curious, he finally met Ryuuji's eyes but didn't say anything. This could be some sort of trick, after all.

Ryuuji reached up and began fidgeting, almost nervously, with some long strands of his hair. "I just felt I should apologize. For avoiding you lately, I mean. It was rude of me."

"Er… Alright." Katsuya shrugged uncomfortably. Was this seriously happening? Taking in Ryuuji's sincere expression, Katsuya relaxed with a sigh. "Anyway, what'd I do to upset ya?"

Green eyes narrowed slightly, as though unsure what to make of the blond sitting in front of him, but Ryuuji finally said, "It wasn't you. I had made a mistake in assuming something that turned out to be in my imagination only. I blame Honda for it, really."

"Hond'?" Katsuya blinked, surprised to hear his friend's name out of the blue like that. So something really was going on between Honda and Otogi, hm? Before he could say anything, though, Ryuuji excused himself and left the office. Katsuya was left feeling confused and perplexed. "Kaiba? What's going on?"

"If you paid more attention to the world around you, you would probably know by now," Seto replied while busily organizing the papers left on his desk. Then he pulled his laptop closer and Katsuya knew it would be pointless to question the other further.

Silence fell between the two, except for the rapid clicks of the keyboard. Despite the short nap on the desktop while Seto and Ryuuji had their Saturday morning meeting, Katsuya still felt drained. The nightmares he'd had last night were still fresh in his mind and he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something terrible was heading their way. _But at least I won't be alone._ The unexpected thought calmed him a bit and he glanced sideways at the serious profile of the CEO, feeling the need to make sure he was still there. Could Seto provide some sort of protection against those monsters? Was it possible?

A blush heated Katsuya's cheeks as he remembered how he'd woken up this morning, wrapped up in both of Seto's arms, his head resting comfortably on Seto's warm chest. It had been so… different. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to ignore the memory. There had been only one thought in his head at first when he'd found himself lying there almost on top of the one who, until then, had only ever let one other person get that close to him.

_Seto has a heartbeat._

Katsuya smiled inexplicably as he remembered the soft, steady sound against his ear. He'd never thought-- "Ah shit." Katsuya groaned, smacking his forehead lightly with the palm of his hand. He needed to stop this, right now, before he came to regret it. Such thoughts were dangerous and shameful and just plain stupid.

"What's your problem? Thinking too hard again?" Seto asked mockingly without tearing his eyes from the computer screen.

Reminded of where he was, Katsuya shook his head and snapped back, "Bastard."

Seto chuckled and finally stopped typing to glance at the other. "If you're going to insult someone, at least try to be intelligent about it."

"Whatever." Katsuya rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair with an annoyed sigh. "Please don't tell me we're goin' to spend the entire day in here. I'm goin' to go crazy if I don't get some fuckin' air soon."

"Hm, we wouldn't want that now, would we?" Seto smirked, closing his laptop and turning his full attention on Katsuya. This only served to make Katsuya feel a bit edgy, unsure if he wanted Seto's eyes watching him like that right now. Seto raised an eyebrow inquisitively and suggested, "Let's take our lunch in the park."

Surprised, Katsuya met the other's sharp gaze. He hadn't expected Seto, of all people, to be so accommodating. "Really? I… I'd like that." Oh god… did he just stutter? Katsuya hoped he wasn't blushing as well. It was too embarrassing.

For some reason Seto appeared to hesitate, still passively staring at Katsuya, before he nodded. "Good. Think about what you want to eat while I finish signing some papers. It won't take long."

"Sure," Katsuya said, feeling eager at the thought of food. If he was going to be stuck with someone, at least it was with someone who could afford to buy him the most delicious, expensive foods. And of course he was going to take advantage of that! Katsuya grinned and began making a mental list of lunch possibilities.

Just as they were about to head down, Seto's phone rang. Katsuya hoped it wouldn't take long; he was on the verge of starving to death by the sounds his stomach was making. He watched as Seto spoke into the phone, noting the frown lines that appeared between the taller teen's eyebrows. Then he realized Seto looked angry. The CEO slammed the receiver down and picked up his briefcase. "We need to make a stop at the front desk before we leave."

"Huh? Why?" Damn it, he was hungry!

"Some sort of commotion. If it's something stupid, I'll just get security to handle it."

"Oh." Katsuya waited impatiently for the glass elevator to reach their floor. When it finally did, he followed the brunette in and tried to ignore the other's obvious stormy behavior while they rode down. It only took moments for the high-speed elevator to reach the ground floor and soon enough they were at the front desk where the woman in charge was apparently arguing with another man.

The identity of the man became apparent the moment Katsuya caught sight of the familiar dirty-blond hair. Even from the back, he could never mistake his own father. While Seto was not quite as quick to catch on, Katsuya immediately froze in his tracks and hardly felt the tug of the leash as Seto was forced back. The only thing he was aware of was the sudden storm of conflicting emotions welling up inside of him. Shouldn't he be glad to see his dad again? Any other son would…

"Jounouchi, what are--? "

"Ah, there you are, boy!" The loud, gravelly voice sounded almost cheerful, as unbelievable as it seemed. Maybe… maybe his father had missed him?

Katsuya didn't move, could hardly breath, but he managed to stutter, "H-hi, Dad. What're ya d-doin' here?" Beside him, he felt Seto's body tense.

The elder Jounouchi approached them slowly, his gaze immediately dismissing Seto as it remained firmly on Katsuya's face. Katsuya finally shifted uncomfortably, reaching his arms up to hug himself as a sudden chill passed through him. His father stopped a few feet from them. "I should be the one askin' you that. 'You here making money behind my back? I haven't seen ya in ages."

"No, I'm jus' visiting. I'd send ya money if I was makin' it." It was true of course. Katsuya couldn't even fathom the thought of leaving his old man penniless while he himself had a job. _I'm a good son. I'd take care of him if I could. I try my best._ "Were… were ya lookin' for me?"

"Whadda ya think? My own son tries t'abandon me an' I'm jus' going to lie down an' take it?" He snarled, startling Katsuya. He knew it was useless to try to deny the accusation, as his father would never listen. Katsuya wanted to apologize, could feel the pleading words on the tip of his tongue, but Seto spoke first.

"Excuse me. Do you have business here with my company? If not, I would ask you to stop wasting our time and leave before I alert security to your unwanted presence."

Katsuya was surprised at the ice in Seto's tone, unable to remember ever hearing Seto speak even to him in such a way. He finally tore his eyes away from his father to glance worriedly up at the other teen. There wasn't going to be a fight, was there?

The other Jounouchi also turned his attention to the unaffected CEO, narrowing his eyes, he seemed to remember the tall brunette. "Kaiba, huh? Yeah, I heard this was your company. Games. Whadda stupid business to get into. 'Course you're just a kid yourself, so it ain't all that surprising."

Far from impressed, Seto's countenance became absolutely glacial. He sneered and folded his arms disdainfully. "This coming from a man who is known for absolutely nothing. Your opinion is worth less than dirt. Now maybe you did not hear me clearly the first time--"

"Oh I heard ya, alright," snapped Katsuya's father angrily. "But unless you hand over that boy, I won't be goin' nowhere. Fact is the police will see this as a case of kidnappin' as soon as I alert 'em. What would a criminal charge do for your precious business, eh?"

"Dad, don't --"

"Shut up. Remember your place, boy."

Katsuya's mouth snapped shut. He wanted to say something, to explain that this was all a mistake. It was ludicrous to even think that Kaiba Seto would ever consider kidnapping the son of a man so broke and worthless. But he couldn't just-- good sons don't argue with their fathers, right? But this didn't make sense…

For a moment, Seto was silent, appearing to evaluate the man in front of him. Quietly, he asked, "What if Jounouchi-kun wishes to remain with me of his own free will?"

Huh? Astonished, Katsuya gaped up at Seto's impassive face. Did he imagine it? Did Seto just call him Jounouchi-_kun_? No… that… Katsuya almost laughed out loud at the thought. That would imply that Seto actually _liked_ him. Preposterous. But Katsuya was so amused by this that he forgot himself for a moment. "Yeah, I don't mind it, Dad. I'm here 'cause I wanna be. I'll come home soon so don't call the cops, 'kay?"

The man didn't even look his way. Instead his eyes remained focused solely on Seto. "Maybe he wants to stay. But what would a fancy guy like yerself want with such a dirty, useless brat? He's more trouble than he's worth to ya. I'm sure you can find many prettier boys eager to take his place, right?"

Dirty, useless brat? Katsuya flinched and looked away from the other two. He did feel… useless. And dirty. It was true but-- but why did his dad have to reveal it to _Seto_? Why? Just when he thought Seto was finally seeing him as something more than a lowly mutt-- He clenched his teeth, fighting not to draw more attention to himself by saying something completely inappropriate. It didn't matter. Not really. He _didn't_ care if Seto… if he thought…

"If he's so useless, old man, why do you want him back so badly?" Kaiba asked without a trace of emotion.

The older man shrugged casually. "He's my son. Of course, if ya want him that much, I'm sure we can reach a deal that would satisfy the both of us without getting the cops involved."

It took a moment for Katsuya to catch on to what he was implying. Horrified, Katsuya's head snapped up and he stared in utter disbelief at the only family he had left. "D-dad! What're you-- Ya can't mean-- No!"

"Didn't I tell ya to shut your fucking mouth?" the man said nastily before leering at Seto. "So? How much are ya willing to give up for this brat?"

"Kaiba!" Katsuya desperately turned to the other teenager. "Don't!" He didn't want this! He didn't want to be sold like… like some kind of unwanted animal. Parents weren't supposed to _sell_ their children. His dad couldn't be serious! And Seto… he wouldn't really participate in such a terrible thing would he? Was Katsuya really that horrible that even his own father would be willing to give him up for a certain price? "Don't, please don't. Please…"

Seto still refused to meet his eyes, frightening Katsuya even more. This could not be happening. Shaking uncontrollably now, Katsuya grabbed Seto's arm, "K-Kaiba…?"

He looked again at his unmoving father. "Please, Dad. Don't-- I'll be good. I'll come home, I promise. Don't make me leave ya! I-I'll try to be better…" Why were they ignoring him? Why couldn't they see how much this hurt? Why!

"You dare to use blackmail against me?" Seto finally answered, gazing down at the man with a look full of contempt. "You _really_ do not know who I am, do you?"

"You are-- "

"_I_ have the very best lawyers that money can buy and yet you dare to insult me with trivial threats?"

"But-- "

"You try it. I dare you. Meanwhile, I am sure my lawyers can dig up every single despicable, unlawful thing you have ever done from the time you were born and create a case that would have you behind bars for the rest of your measly life." Seto jerked his arm from Katsuya's grasp and took a menacing step forward. "So go ahead. Call the police because you will never obtain a single yen from me. Do I make myself clear?"

Helplessly, Katsuya watched the rage break out in his father's expression. He knew it was useless to say anything more but still he had to fight not to continue pleading for his father's forgiveness. Katsuya must have done something very wrong to be hated this much. That his dad would even consider giving him up in such a disgraceful way showed Katsuya he was at fault. He bit his lip hard enough to be painful and stared down at the floor, feeling more unwanted and miserable than he ever had in his life and unable to look anyone in the eye any longer. As soon as the spell to their collars was broken, Katsuya knew that Seto would be just as eager to be rid of him as his father was.

Lost in thought, he missed the rest of the conversation and it barely registered that his father had finally left the building a few moments later. His chest felt tight, making it hard to breath properly as his mind filled with self-hatred. He loathed the fact that he had even been born. If his own family didn't want him, than why had they raised him at all? Why hadn't they just dumped him as a baby and been done with it? It was impossible to live with the knowledge that he had now driven both his mother and father away. They must hate him so much.

"Jounouchi, have you made up your mind about lunch?"

Katsuya didn't look up. He resented Seto for that question, acting as though nothing had happened. As though Katsuya's father hadn't just tried to… to…

"About what happened, you shouldn't take it so hard. He's not-- "

"W-why didn't you just hand over the fucking m-money?" Katsuya's voice cracked as he tried to remain in control of himself. It hurt. Every fucking part of his body seemed to be in pain. Especially his chest and head. "H-how much do ya suppose I'm worth… a thousand yen? A hundred thousand? I-- I can't be very much… I just-- I'm worthless, r-right? Useless an' dirty an' worthless and -- " He couldn't seem to stop. The hateful words invaded his mind worse than ever. Always before he had been able to push them away until a time when he could be alone or try to put a positive light on the things his father said. But now…

He hadn't realized he'd been pulled to an empty conference room, away from the public eye, until Seto forced him to sit on a padded chair. The tall brunette pulled over another chair and placed himself directly in front of Katsuya, their knees touching. Katsuya only distantly noticed but couldn't bring himself to look directly at Seto's cold, judging face. Seto leaned forward slightly and calmly said, "Even had I thought it appropriate, I would never have enough money to buy you. You are priceless, Jounouchi."

Priceless. Katsuya felt the tears building as he shook his head. Seto could be so cruel. "Yeah, priceless. I-I'm a fool. That's what you're sayin', right? A-an idiot who's own d-dad didn't want him."

"You are a fool if you keep saying things like that," Seto said coldly. "He's obviously not worth getting this upset over. So snap out of it. You are acting like a child."

The words hit Katsuya harder than they would normally have. He snapped. "You don't understand! It's not my dad, it's me! I fuckin' hate myself! I shouldn't even be here!" Screaming the words he believed in all his life at Seto only made him feel worse. He didn't want Seto to know. He didn't want _anyone_ to know how pathetic he really was. "He's right, y'know. I _am_ useless. You'll be better off once you can get rid of me. If it wasn't for this _fucking leash_!"

Seto slapped him. Hard. Katsuya's head turned sideways with the impact and he remained facing in that direction, breathing heavily. The tears finally began to fall. Seto furiously ground out between clenched teeth, "Stop it. Just stop. You are right, I don't understand. But I know that everything else you said were lies. How can you believe something so stupid?"

"B-because…" Katsuya shuddered. His cheek throbbed but it was nothing compared to the pain of his memories. "I-it's my fault. I'm a f-failure."

-.-.-.-.-.-

Seto could not remember his own parents. Once in a while, usually in his dreams, he would recall small, insignificant things about them before the terrible accident; things like the smell of his mother's favorite shampoo or the way his father's eyes looked when he was proud of something young Seto had done in school. But they were vague and frustrating since he could never remember who they _truly_ were. Because of this, he could not understand the strength of the bond created between parent and child. To rely on or love someone like that so much that you couldn't bear to do without them seemed unsafe and ridiculous to Seto. Gozaburo, who had taken up the responsibility of a father-like figure to Seto and Mokuba, had never showed love of any kind to the two boys.

Watching now as the blond teenager before him broke down completely, Seto found it difficult to fully appreciate the severity of the situation. If Gozaburo had rejected him in the way Katsuya's father had done, Seto imagined he would have been almost elated at the new freedom or relieved at the very least. In fact, even when his stepfather had met his end, Seto hadn't shed a single tear over the man's dead body. He realized that Katsuya, however, felt very differently about his own parents. It didn't seem like love, though, more like Katsuya only felt wholly responsible for everything to do with his family and couldn't stand the thought of being thrown away like some useless piece of garbage.

How was one supposed to go about handling such a delicate matter? Ignoring the problem hadn't worked. Acting harsh had only made things worse. Seto took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm his nerves. It was frustrating to see Katsuya like this because even though Seto had always told the blond duelist that he was weak and mediocre, he knew in his heart that Katsuya was stronger than even himself in a lot of ways. And never, ever had Katsuya just given up like this. There had always been something in Katsuya that made the fiery boy fight back even when the odds were stacked against him.

Why couldn't dealing with human emotions be as easy and logical as running his company? He sighed and wearily ran a hand through his hair while he thought about what to say. They were obviously not going to get anywhere just by remaining silent. By now Katsuya had quit saying anything at all and had brought up his knees to hide his face in them, his arms wrapped tightly around his legs. The teen's body was still shaking. Finally, tired of doing nothing, Seto said, "What is it that you think you've done? You keep saying it's your fault. What is?" Katsuya remained irritatingly mute and Seto had to fight the urge to reach out and shake the answers from him. "Jounouchi. Answer me. What is your fault?"

He thought he heard a muffled 'Everything', but it was difficult to be sure. Besides, that answer was worthless to Seto since he hadn't a clue as to what 'everything' was. He muttered a curse, reminding himself to remain calm. Getting angry wasn't going to do either of them any good at the moment.

"S-sometimes I…I wish…"

"What?" Seto asked, startled by Katsuya's sudden whispered words. It was almost impossible to hear the other properly so he leaned forward to get a bit closer.

Katsuya didn't move or look up. "D'ya think it w-would've been better if… if I had never been b-born?"

Without thinking, Seto reached out and grabbed Katsuya's shoulders tightly, shoving him back so that he was forced to come out of hiding. The other wouldn't meet Seto's eyes but Seto could now clearly see the pale, tear-stained face. He stared for a minute, trying to sort out his raging emotions before shouting helplessly, "Why the _hell_ would I think _that_! You--you stupid… I don't believe you! What gives you the right-- !"

"Because it hurts!" Katsuya screamed back, his expression crumbling. "Fuckin' hurts! Don't ya get it? N-no, 'course ya don't! You're Mr. fuckin' perfect billionaire Kaiba. You-- You've got everythin' this fucked up planet has t'offer, right? I… I jus' want… wanted… so bad, I-- Shit! I hate this! I hate this whole goddamned life!"

Seto, for once, was speechless. He could hardly believe what he was seeing and hearing. The anger he should've been feeling over the other's accusations was caught under a wave of confusion and horror. Really, he didn't know _what_ he was feeling. Everything in front of him was just so surreal. Was he supposed to comfort Katsuya somehow? Fight back? Yell or speak calmly?

Finally Katsuya shook his head and laughed bitterly, "I'm pathetic, ain't I? A pathetic, stupid mutt."

Seto, for reasons he didn't even want to think about at the moment, gave in and swallowed his pride when he quietly said, "I do not regret your existence." He wasn't sure if he had worded his feelings correctly. He dropped his gaze, surprised to find he was embarrassed by what he'd confided.

There was an almost unbearable stretch of silence, leaving Seto to wonder if he'd said the wrong thing. Not that it would come as a surprise, but he really was trying here, damn it! Katsuya finally sniffled and raised his head. His voice cracked a little as he whispered, "You're a liar. You don't-- "

"I swear you will be sorry if you say I don't understand one more time." Seto could not believe that Katsuya could be so ignorant. It made Seto furious when he listened to people who felt they were the only wronged ones in the entire world. As if nobody else suffered as much or worse than they. "You think I am perfect? At least you have a family, however dysfunctional. At least _you_ do not have to worry about being responsible for a multinational corporation, a younger sibling _and_ what image you're presenting to the public every fucking day of your life. _You_ can trust your friends not to stab you in the back the moment you let your guard down and _you_ can fall in love with out wondering if it's only money and status your partner is after. How… how you can even _dare_ think life is perfect for everyone but you is beyond me! I never imagined you were so fucking insensitive." It took a moment for him to realize he was shaking. The rage that filled him was enough to overcome the disbelief he felt over what he'd just revealed about himself. His fears, weaknesses… Envy over what Katsuya had.

Struggling to calm down, to keep from panicking in front of someone who should never have gotten this close to him, Seto drew in a shaky breath and dropped his head into his hands. Desperately, he closed his eyes and began to clear his mind of the intolerable memories. It used to be so easy to keep them locked away but Katsuya seemed to be in the habit of forcing them upon Seto. He didn't _want_ to remember those years he'd spent under Gozaburo's crushing thumb. And why the hell couldn't he stop shaking!

He didn't expect to hear the sound of muffled laughter a moment later. Katsuya sounded almost hysterical but Seto couldn't bring himself to bother commenting. The other teen managed to say, "Oh… oh god. W-what a pair w-we make." His snickers died almost as quickly as they started, giving way to a half-strangled sob. "I-it's sad, ain't it?"

It really was sad. Seto could almost see the humor in the situation. However, he was too busy trying to sort through the tangled web of emotions and memories to show any reaction. He hated feeling so weak that he couldn't even hide his inner conflict from Katsuya.

"A-anyway," muttered Katsuya. "I-- I'm sorry. Shouldn't've laughed, I guess. It just… I wasn't expecting you to say… to tell me… that stuff. I didn't realize anything ever bothered ya, yanno? You-- you're jus' so-- so strong." They must have very different definitions of the word 'strong', Seto thought. He didn't even have the strength to look Katsuya in the eye right now. "Kaiba? I… Please say something?"

"What do you want me to say?" Seto mumbled into his hands. Hadn't enough been said already? What more could Katsuya want to hear?

"I dunno." Katsuya sighed and Seto could hear him shift uncomfortably in his seat. "Jus'… I don't like feelin' alone. I hate it. I-- I can't stand… L-look, tell me to shut up okay? I will. I won't say another word until you can get rid of me. I just make things worse… so I…"

"Shut up." Seto almost smiled as he heard the other's sharp gasp. He sighed, rubbed his hands over his face one last time and finally raised his head to find Katsuya's wide, slightly water brown eyes on him. It would be interesting to see if the loudmouthed teen would actually be able to remain silent for more than a couple of hours, much less a day. However. "Now, speak. But make sense this time. Your babbling is getting on my nerves."

"Eh?" Katsuya blinked, apparently unsure if he was being made fun of or not. When Seto only stared back expressionlessly, the blond frowned and uneasily looked away to the side. "I'm sorry."

"And quit apologizing. I do not want to hear it."

A surprised expression appeared on Katsuya's face for a moment. Then he frowned and again met Seto's eyes, almost hesitantly. They held each other's gaze for little while without saying anything, making Seto wonder what Katsuya was thinking. Finally, the other teen tentatively asked, "Did you mean it?"

Confused, Seto said, "Mean what?" He silently begged the other not to bring up everything Seto had confided. His emotions concerning that were still unstable, as it was.

"A-about, um, about not regretting that I'm here?"

Seto's breath caught as he saw the wavering hope in the other's eyes. He wanted to be able to stand up and just leave Katsuya before things became even more complicated than they already were. Circumstances prevented this, however. And anyway, he was probably in much too deep now to ever pretend they'd never had this conversation. Realizing that he couldn't escape, and maybe did not even want to, Seto finally accepted it. Calmly, he replied, "Yes. I meant every word. Life would most likely be dull without you around to throw it into chaos."

Katsuya's eyes widened and he appeared torn between amusement and indignation. However, Seto was completely unprepared for what the spontaneous blond did next. All breath was forced from his lungs as a grinning Katsuya enthusiastically tackled him around the middle. The chair, unable to take the sudden new weight, tipped over backwards and deposited both of the teens on the carpeted floor, leaving Seto slightly dazed and winded by the impact. After a moment to clear his head, he realized the other's body was still holding him down. And Katsuya didn't seem to be laughing any more.

More than slightly unnerved, Seto peered down to where Katsuya's face was pressed against his chest. He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Jounouchi, what are you doing?" Without thinking, Seto laid his right hand on Katsuya's shoulders as though to comfort the other. This was certainly discomfiting, to say the least.

"I…" Katsuya took a deep breath and raised his head a bit to wipe his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. "Man, I gotta stop cryin'. It's just… I thought y-you'd see how worthless and unwanted I am a-after my… he tried to… he…"

"I know. You don't have to say it." Seto sighed and dropped his head back down against the floor, wondering not for the first time how he'd ever gotten into this situation. His life had made so much more sense before Katsuya forced his way in to it. Staring up at the high ceiling, he tried not to think about what this all meant. "I realize your family means much to you but that man is wrong. You are worth a lot more than you imagine. Your friends would have given up on you a long time ago if they didn't see something in you worth loving. Never listen to the poison of someone who cares nothing for you. I made the same mistake with Gozaburo. If I didn't have Mokuba…" Seto trailed off, unable to complete the terrifying thought. He would have been lost for sure without Mokuba. Gozaburo would have destroyed him.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I get it," said Katsuya, still resting on top of Seto who was finding he wasn't so uncomfortable with the other as he should be. "It's hard though. I don't think I can face him after this."

"Hm, well. You won't have to worry about that until this curse breaks, in any case."

Katsuya snorted in amusement. "Right. Guess not."

An easy silence fell between them, neither feeling the need to move for the moment. Seto could not remember the last time he'd felt so at ease with someone aside from his brother. It was a good feeling, though, and he almost wished it could last. Absently, he brushed his fingers through the other boy's long blond hair, enjoying the feeling as the strands slid nicely along his skin.

"Mm, feels nice," Katsuya murmured, sighing lightly as he relaxed even more against Seto. Startled out of his lethargic state of mind, Seto stopped the motions of his hand and instead nudged the other's shoulder.

"We cannot stay here all day."

"Don't see why not," muttered Katsuya while tightening his hold on Seto as though he might disappear into the thin air.

"Because-- " Seto frowned, finding he wanted to agree with Katsuya. It wouldn't do, though. For many reasons. And for the sake of his sanity. "Weren't you hungry?"

"You always think you can bribe me with food, huh?" was Katsuya's amused response. Before Seto could defend himself, the blond teen lifted his face and grinned. "Works for me! I know a good burger stand in the park, if we're still goin' there."

"Oh good. Junkfood." Seto groaned and pushed Katsuya up so that they were in a sitting position. He blinked, noticing that Katsuya was seated now on his lap.

Katsuya laughed. "'Course. You'll hafta get used to that with me around." Then his eyes widened as a bemused, yet slightly pleased look crossed his face. "Wow. You… you're smiling." What? "Really, smilin'. I…"

He what? Seto hastily turned his face away from Katsuya and quickly smoothed his expression. Why the hell--? It couldn't mean anything. It didn't suggest he actually _liked_ Katsuya in _that_ way. His mind refused to believe it. "Get off me," said Seto gruffly, moving to stand up. He pulled a silently gawking Katsuya up with him. "And stop looking at me like that."

"Oh, I wasn't… Only…" Katsuya stumbled over his words, a blush tinting his cheeks. They stood facing each other awkwardly while Katsuya tried to figure out what he was trying to say. Instead of saying anything more however, Katsuya leaned in and placed his lips softly against Seto's cheek. Half a second later he pulled away, blushing fiercely. "I… I just wanted to… to th-thank you f-for, uh, makin' me feel better an' all. A-and helpin' me understand more 'bout you. I… um… it didn't mean… Well, thanks."

Seto stared. Opened his mouth, closed it, and stared some more. He took in Katsuya's reddened face with astonishment, replaying the moment over and over in his mind. He could still feel the warm kiss on his skin and his hand twitched with the intention of reaching up to touch the spot. He didn't know why but suddenly he felt… warm.

"K-Kaiba?"

"Lunch." He had to get out of here. Had to divert Katsuya's attention away from himself before he did something extremely stupid like try to return the kiss. Swiftly, he turned on his heel and targeted the door. "Show me where this burger stand is, pup." It suddenly dawned on him that 'puppy' had become more of a pet name than an insult. Damn, he really was in over his head here.

Katsuya did not argue. In fact, he was smiling widely as he kept pace at Seto's side. It also didn't escape Seto's notice that the blond kept sneaking glances at his face. As they walked outside into the bright, fresh air, Seto finally couldn't take it any more. "What?"

With a snicker, Katsuya looked fully at him and shook his head. "Nuh uh, not tellin'. I can have secrets too, ya know. Besides, I don't wanna embarrass you." He laughed again and sped up a bit.

Seto refused to acknowledge Katsuya's words verbally. He just glared ahead of them and wondered again how he was going to be able to keep his sanity around the infuriatingly cheerful boy. But, in a way, Seto felt better seeing Katsuya smiling again. All seemed right in the world, listening to Katsuya's teasing remarks and laughter. Seto rolled his eyes and lightly smacked the back of Katsuya's head. "Dumb blond."

Playfully, Katsuya hit him back. "Rich pig."

Yes. It was definitely better this way.

"Hey, uh, Kaiba?"

"Hm?"

"Are we friends, now? I mean, I think we are, but…"

Seto chuckled as he watched Katsuya's face go red once again. He thought about it for a moment but knew that, at the very least, he and Katsuya were not enemies any longer. They couldn't even be indifferent to one another, not after such a display of emotions moments ago. Smirking down at the blond, Seto said, "As long as I do not have to like Yuugi or any of the others from that detestable group, I suppose it will be all right."

"Yeah?" Katsuya's face lit up with another smile, his eyes shining happily. Seto had to force himself to look away. "Okay. Deal. Yuug's goin' to be so jealous!"

Seto only shook his head in mock despair. Friends. Now this should be interesting. If it didn't turn into a complete catastrophe first. Oh well, it was too late now to change his mind anyway. And it might be good to finally be close to someone after all these years. As dangerous as it felt to let someone see even a part of who he really was, Seto felt a certain sense of relief. It helped him to slip out a little more from his dead stepfather's ever-present hold. And that certainly could not be a bad thing, right?

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Well, fuck me. I think that damn Pharaoh was right all along." Malik pulled his eyes away from the corner around which Seto and Katsuya had disappeared. Leaning back against the wall of the alley, the Egyptian shook his head with disbelief. "I just can't believe it."

Beside him, Yami Bakura cursed and kicked sullenly at the pebbles on the ground. "I can't believe you screwed it up so bad. Picking those two to chain together. Fucking fate."

"Hey, you agreed with me. How the hell were we supposed to know?" Malik growled in irritation, running his hand roughly through his bangs. "Man. I thought for sure they'd come outta the building screaming at each other at the very least, after we sent that bastard after Jou."

"The damn Priest actually looked cheerful." Bakura shivered with disgust at the memory.

"Oh good. I thought I hallucinated that."

They began walking down the street at a leisurely pace, ignoring the people around them as they took turns cursing their luck. It was obvious that, no matter what they did now, they could not stop the destiny Yami had foretold. They both hated the thought that their little prank was actually _helping_ two people.

"Ah well," sighed Malik. "Nothing we can do, I suppose."

Bakura shrugged in agreement. "Hn. If it works out for them, the Priest is going to find out just how damn lucky he is for snagging that particular little slave."

Interested, Malik glanced sideways at his white-haired companion. "Hm? Really? Don't tell me you--?"

"Have you ever known me to come across a treasure and leave it untouched?" Malik snickered as Bakura leered suggestively. "It wasn't just by his clothes I found out he was a bedroom slave, y'know."

"Ooh, Yami's going to kill you if he finds out." Malik laughed, poking the tomb robber's side teasingly.

Bakura glared. "How the hell would he find out, eh?"

"Mm, perhaps I'll tell him _all_ your dirty secrets. For a price."

"Fuck you," Bakura hissed, grabbing Malik's wrist and shoving the tomb keeper behind him. "Not if I get to him first!" As Malik fought to keep his balance, Bakura ran off ahead, leaving the Egyptian behind.

Seeing what was up, Malik laughed and took up the challenge as he sprinted after the spirit. He called out as he began to catch up, "If we tie, I'm willing to share!"

"If it's not, let's share anyway!" Bakura shouted back, tossing a hungry grin over his shoulder. With this motivation, the two evil connivers ran all out towards a certain unsuspecting Yami.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Ah, this is such a nice spot," said Katsuya with obvious delight, happily sprawled out on the grass under the large cherry trees. "Do you come here often?"

It took Seto a moment to finish inspecting the greasy, messy burger in his hands before he answered. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to risk a bite, but seeing as Katsuya had already polished off three of the disgusting things and had yet to show signs of food poisoning, Seto supposed they could not be too dangerous. "Sometimes. I enjoy the peace and isolation this place has to offer for when life becomes too stressful."

It really was a beautiful area. They were settled in a secluded part of the park, away from the usual crowds. Above them, the branches of the surrounding trees swayed in the gentle breeze, which felt nice on this hot day. The cherry trees had finished blooming a while ago and now very few late flowers could be spotted among the leaves. Almost unconsciously, Seto felt himself begin to unwind, his mind moving away from the hectic events of the day. Cautiously he nibbled on the unhealthy hamburger and found it was not as bad as he'd feared.

Next to him, Katsuya cheerfully hummed a quiet, nameless tune while gazing at the scenery around him. Then suddenly he asked, "Hey, Kaiba? Why didn't the curse break when you kissed me?"

Seto almost choked on the food he had been in the process of chewing. Swallowing carefully, he glanced warily at the thoughtful blond. "Why would you expect it to?"

"Well," he explained, "in the movies, curses like this are almost always broken with a kiss, right? But the kiss is always consensual. So I was just thinking maybe it was my fault we're still stuck together. Y'know, for not accepting it."

Katsuya's logic amused Seto but he tried not to show it. Instead, he set aside the remains of his lunch and leaned back against their tree with a serious expression. "Things are never as straightforward as movies usually suggest. I am sure breaking this curse involves more than a simple kiss."

"Oh." Nodding, Katsuya tugged at the grass beside him. "So… it's not my fault, then?"

Seto couldn't help the snort of laughter this time. "No, pup. It is not. The blame belongs solely with the two who placed this thing around our necks in the first place."

The blond grinned in agreement. Watching him, Seto couldn't believe how relaxed they were now in each other's company. Just last week they had been insulting each other almost constantly. He never imagined it possible for them to get along this well, but then they had never been together continually like this before. Lately, he'd been finding they had a lot in common.

Katsuya poked him. "You're frowning, again. Stop it. And are you going to finish your burger, 'cause I'm still hungry if you're not."

"Go ahead. Hog." Seto rolled his eyes as Katsuya eagerly devoured the rest of the food. At least they had gotten off the topic of that kiss. The kiss that Seto still couldn't bring himself to regret. He sighed and closed his eyes against the memory, wishing he could just get over it and move on.

"'Not a hog," grumbled Katsuya. "I'm a growing boy. I need all the nourishment I can get."

"Hn."

"'Least I'm not practically anorexic, like you."

Seto opened one eye to glare half-heartedly at the impudent blond. "Eating healthy food does not make me anorexic."

"Yeah, whatever." Katsuya threw some grass at Seto's face. Seto ignored it completely. "So what now?"

Seto replied sternly, "Now we sit here, _quietly_, and enjoy the fresh air. Think you can stay still long enough to do so?"

After an exaggerated thoughtful silence, Katsuya nodded. "Yep. I can do that." Without another word, the blond teen leaned against Seto's shoulder and went limp. Startled, Seto almost reacted by shoving Katsuya away but managed to override the instinct. If this was what it took to have some peace around the loudmouthed Katsuya, then so be it. Ignoring the weight against his side, Seto closed his eyes again and began to relax. He found, even, that he didn't mind their position nearly as much as he should have. Maybe he was just becoming accustomed to the other's irrepressible nature.

Lulled by the warmth of the sun and the pleasant tranquility around them, they ended up falling asleep together. At some point, Katsuya's body slid down until his head rested most comfortably on Seto's lap. Unconsciously feeling the shift, the taller teen slouched down into a more relaxed position and laid his arm across the other's waist. They remained this way until late into the afternoon.

-.-.-.-.-.-

To Be Continued...

_Thrown to the Lions: Figuratively, to be thrown to the lions is to be placed in a difficult situation for which one is completely unprepared._

**(A/N):** Ooh, look at this. An update! So full of angst too, lol. It's got its fluffy moments though. I think Seto's become a little too much of a softy, but oh well. I enjoyed writing this chapter just because it's so full of Seto & Jou bonding moments haha (and angst. Mm... angst...). There'll probably be some Honda/Otogi stuff next chapter, and of course a lot more of our two main characters becoming closer. Seto still has a ways to go before he can completely overcome Gozaburo's influence and Jou remains unsure of his feelings towards Seto. So... keep your fingers crossed that I find more time to work on this! ;-)

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em!


	11. Can't See the Forest for the Trees

**Warnings**: shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, etc...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU

**Pairings**: Future Seto/Jou; Honda/Otogi;

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas.

-.-.-.-.-.-  
**Inescapable You **

Chapter 11: Can't See the Forest for the Trees

For a moment he thought he was still dreaming, for surely there could be nothing on this earth so beautiful and hypnotic as the intense blue of sapphires overwhelming his vision. The blue was so deep and sharp it almost hurt to look at it and yet he could not, for the life of him, pull his eyes away. Slowly his sleep-fogged mind began to clear and he finally realized that he was not in awe of a pair of flawless gems, but instead the half-lidded eyes of a certain young businessman. Even with this knowledge, Katsuya did not move or flinch away; instead he felt almost powerless to do anything but hold the other's gaze. Seto gave no indication that he noticed, but continued to stare down at Katsuya in such a way that the blond wondered if the other teen was even aware of his surroundings at all. The brunette appeared to be a million miles away, which was strange for a person so grounded in reality.

Feeling his eyes begin to water, Katsuya finally blinked, breaking the spell that had seemed to come over him. He noticed, with heated cheeks, that his head was cradled quite comfortably in Seto's lap. They were certainly _not_ in this position when they'd first fallen asleep. It was a wonder that Seto had not pushed him off yet. Then again, Katsuya wasn't quite as mortified as he should have been; things had changed too much between them for this to be worth getting upset about.

Something important tickled the back of his mind as he found himself again studying the face above him. 'He protected me.' A small, pleased smile came to Katsuya's lips as he remembered the events of the morning. Seto had given Katsuya protection, comfort and hope. Even Hiroto had never stood up against his father in the way Seto had. It meant something, didn't it? It had to. His smile faded as the weight of reality returned, along with the doubt that Seto might expect something in return for his unsolicited help. What could someone like Katsuya ever do to repay a powerful, wealthy guy like Seto? And then there was still the problem of his father because the man would soon realize just how much he depended on his son to run the home. It was Katsuya's duty to complete the chores and keep the apartment in good repair, to pay the bills, and to prepare most of their meals. It was one of the reasons Katsuya felt so bad for leaving his dad alone. What if something happened to the old man before Katsuya and Seto could find a way to separate? Katsuya shivered at the depressing thoughts and quickly shoved them to the back of his mind. No use dwelling on such things, he couldn't do anything about them right now.

Seto was still staring down at him and it was beginning to get creepy. What could possibly be running through his mind? To cheer himself up, Katsuya crossed his eyes and looked up at the other's expressionless face. When that got no response, he stuck out his tongue as far as possible and wiggled it around. Even though Seto appeared not to notice, it still amused Katsuya greatly and he snickered noisily. Uncrossing his eyes and pulling in his tongue, the blond slowly raised his right hand, curling in all his fingers but the index one. He reached up, aiming for the other's nose, and ended up yelping as Seto's own hand unexpectedly snagged Katsuya's wrist half way. He hadn't even seen Seto move, it had been so fast.

"Do not even think about it." Seto glared down at him with suddenly clear and aware eyes.

Startled, Katsuya blinked up at the Seto's hand, which was still firmly wrapped around his forearm. Then he grinned. "I was just gonna make sure you're still alive. 'Thought you might've slipped into a coma or something."

"Hn." The brunette studied him, his face still unreadable. Dropping Katsuya's arm, he smirked and said, "I always thought you would make a nice lapdog."

Katsuya felt his face heat up as he quickly jerked his head off Seto's thigh and sat up. Embarrassed and angry at himself, Katsuya put as much distance as possible between them. Which wasn't much, unfortunately. "Shut-up, Moneybags. The dog jokes are getting old, ya know."

"Maybe the joke becomes old, but your reaction never will," he replied with another smirk as he stretched out his long legs and arms, apparently stiff from the hours spent sleeping upright. This gave Katsuya a pause. Did that mean Seto _enjoyed_ getting Katsuya riled enough to yell insults and curses at him? That was… bizarre. Bemused, he opened his mouth to tell Seto just how crazy and screwed in the head he was, but was cut off by a loud, warbling ring.

Seto plucked his compact, shiny black cellphone from a pocket inside his coat and flipped it open to look at the glowing display screen. Without sparing a glance at the still fuming blond at his side, the CEO pressed a button and brought the phone to his ear. "Who is this?" There was a pause, and then, "Fine."

Katsuya flinched a little in surprise when the phone was practically shoved in his face. Why would someone be calling for him on Seto's phone? Hesitantly, he took the device from the other's hand and carefully held it to his ear. "Um, hello?"

_"Hey, Jou, it's me."_

Katsuya recognized Hiroto's voice and grinned. "Hey, man. What's up? How'd you get Kaiba's number?"

_"From Yuugi, actually. I need to talk to you, bud. It's important. Can I meet you somewhere?"_

The distracted tone and seriousness in his friend's words worried Katsuya a bit. He frowned, hoping nothing terrible had happened. "Hold on a sec." He looked up at Seto and quickly explained to the brunette what he needed. When Seto agreed, surprisingly without any snipes or arguments, Katsuya said into the phone, "Can you get over to Kaiba's place? We can meet you there in about fifteen."

_"Yeah, that'll work. Thanks, Jou."_

"Are ya okay? Did somethin' happen?" Katsuya tensed, his concern rising by the second. If someone was hurt…

_"Nothing's wrong,"_ Honda said as though reading his mind. _"There's just something I need to tell you. I'll see you soon."_

Katsuya listened to the dial tone for a moment, then slowly pulled the phone away and handed it back to its owner. He frowned worriedly down at his lap as he listened to Seto call for a limousine. There was obviously something wrong and it was frustrating to have to wait to find out what. Busy running the short phone conversation over again through his mind, Katsuya failed at first to notice Seto rise to his feet.

"Jounouchi…"

At the sound of his name, Katsuya looked up to find Seto looming over him with a perplexed expression. "Oh, sorry. I was jus'…" He trailed off when he finally realized exactly _why_ Seto was giving him such a strange look. Katsuya was still sitting down on the grass and Seto was standing at his full height of six foot one. There should be no way that that was possible with only two feet of invisible rope between them. "Holy shit. What…?"

Seto leaned back slightly but stopped when they both felt the familiar tightness around their necks. So, it was still there. For some reason, Katsuya felt a hint of relief along with his disappointment. He was still stuck with the arrogant Kaiba, but the thought did not distress him as much as it should have.

Looking down at Katsuya thoughtfully, Seto said, "We seemed to have gained another foot or so of space. I wonder how. There must be some logical explanation."

Katsuya nodded absently. Of course there must be some explanation. Magical leashes didn't just lengthen for no reason at all. Or did they? Really, what did they know about these things anyway? He rose to his feet unhurriedly, brushing off the seat of his pants as he kept a wary eye on Seto's face. "Well," he finally said, tired of the ponderous silence, "Ya know what this means?"

Seto blinked, coming out of whatever place his mind had wandered off to. "What?"

"It _means_ that when we use the bathroom at school, one of us can now stand _outside_ of the stall door while the other uses the toilet." He grinned and winked while Seto only rolled his eyes.

"Yes, that is a relief," he drawled as he turned towards the entrance of the park. "Let's go. Our ride should be waiting for us by now."

Oh right, Hiroto. Katsuya quickly followed the taller teen and they soon found themselves dropped off at the door of the Kaiba mansion. Hiroto was waiting for them on the steps, but he was not alone. Sitting beside him were two other friends of Katsuya's, Yuugi and Ryou, and leaning casually against the wall beside the door was Otogi Ryuuji, CEO of Dungeon Dice Monsters.

"Hey guys!" Katsuya greeted them, trying to hide his confusion. Hiroto had not said anything about bringing the others over. As they walked up to his friends, however, Katsuya noticed something was off. For one thing, Yuugi and Ryou were huddled together and appeared a lot more pale than usual. With concern, he asked, "Is everything alright?"

Seto crossed his arms, obviously impatient with the uninvited guests. He glared at them until Hiroto stood up and walked over to Katsuya. The pointed-haired brunette shrugged and shoved his hands into his pants pockets, a disgruntled expression on his face. "Sorry. I was going to come alone, but it didn't seem right to leave those two behind. And Otogi is just being an ass."

"Fuck you. I have a right to be here." The green-eyed dice master glared at them, his expression only darkening when Hiroto ignored him.

"Er… Explain?" Katsuya asked hopefully. Yuugi and Ryou were still avoiding eye contact. It made him nervous.

"Oh, right." Hiroto gestured towards the two shorter boys on the stairs. "They came to my place a few hours ago, pretty badly shaken about something. Their noses were bleeding and – "

"What!" Katsuya examined them more closely this time, trying to determine if they were hurt. But nothing except their demeanor seemed amiss.

"I dunno." Hiroto shrugged again. "They wouldn't tell me anything. All I could manage to get out of them was a mumble about their darker halves and Malik."

Katsuya cursed and grabbed Seto's arm, dragging him over to Yuugi and Ryou. He knelt down in front of them. "Did those psychos do something to you? If they did I'll… Why th'fuck didn't Yami stop 'em! Yuug', tell me what happened." He almost fell back in surprise as both of their faces simultaneously bloomed bright red.

"I-it's not what you think, Jou-kun," stuttered Yuugi, his face looking like some oddly-shaped tomato. "They didn't hurt us at all."

"But Hond' said your noses were bleeding! If they didn't hurt you at all, then what…?"

Ryou interrupted him with a short, almost hysterical giggle. "Really, Jounouchi-kun, we're fine. Just… just a little disturbed by something we walked in on."

"Oh, uh… okay. If you say so." Katsuya slowly stood back up, wondering a little about their sanity. Well, at least they seemed fine physically. He gave Ryuuji a cursory glance, noticing the long-haired boy was still glaring almost sulkily down at the ground, and then waved Hiroto over. "C'mon. Guess we can take this inside. You still need to tell me what you wanted to talk with me about."

Seto led the small troop into the enormous foyer and gruffly ordered them to remove their shoes. As they did so, he directed one of his staff to seek out Mokuba. Katsuya fidgeted uneasily as they waited for the youngest Kaiba to arrive. He didn't like the uncomfortable silence and he couldn't help but notice the strange looks that were passing between Hiroto and Ryuuji. Whatever was going on, he was obviously completely out of the loop. Although, he did remember Ryuuji mentioning Hiroto this morning after apologizing to Katsuya for avoiding him lately.

"Jounouchi." Seto caught Katsuya's attention and the blond looked over at him in wary surprise. "Why don't you tell Yuugi about the leash."

"Huh? Oh!" Their discovery at the park had slipped Katsuya's mind in all the recent excitement. He quickly remembered, however, and eagerly pulled his short buddy over to him. He briefly enlightened Yuugi on the leash's miraculous lengthening and demonstrated it by walking away from Seto until he felt the collar tighten. After all these days stuck so close together, even an extra foot and a bit of freedom was thrilling. Grinning down at Yuugi, he was delighted to see the boy smiling at him, hopefully forgetting about whatever it was that had upset him before.

"That's great, Jou-kun," Yuugi said, happily inspecting the space between the two taller teenagers. "It's definitely not a fluke. Do you have any idea what caused the change?"

"Well, no." Katsuya sighed, though grateful to know that _something_ must have happened to make the leash extend like this. "I was hopin' you could tell us that."

Yuugi frowned a little, and then shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't really understand this leash and collar thing. Yami's the one who knows, but he…" He trailed off, his cheeks reddening again as he turned to give Ryou a horrified look. The white-haired boy only grimaced and tried in vain to rub away his own bright blush with his hands.

Fortunately, at that moment Mokuba bounded into the room and threw himself at his older brother. "'Niisama, you're back! I almost didn't believe it; you never leave work this early! And, wow! You brought people with you!" He relinquished the hold he had around Seto's waist to stare in awe at their guests. Katsuya laughed quietly at the exaggerated action, knowing that Mokuba enjoyed teasing his stoic brother as much as possible.

Seto gave the younger boy a barely visible smile and a casual pat on the head, ruffling his messy black hair. "Yes, we have company. I would like you to show Yuugi, Bakura, and Otogi to the main game room. Entertain them until I return."

"Okay." Mokuba nodded enthusiastically, but looked up at Seto again. "Where're you going, though? Not back to work, I hope."

"I will be in a private discussion with Jounouchi and Honda. I do not wish to be disturbed so please make sure no one interrupts us. That means you are in charge of taking my calls. Can you handle that for me?"

It was almost funny to watch how bright Mokuba's face lit up with pride at being given such a responsibility. The boy glomped his brother again, and then stood back and took Seto's cellphone with the air of someone who just got promoted to the highest level of office. "No problem. You don't have to worry about a thing. Everyone! Follow me!"

Yuugi and Ryou, both obviously stifling giggles behind their hands, immediately went after the young Kaiba. Ryuuji, however, hesitated and glanced over at Hiroto with a look that Katsuya found impossible to decipher. He watched in quiet confusion as Hiroto tried to avoid the green-eyed gaze, but Ryuuji was not willing to put up with it. "Honda, I want to – "

"No. I need to speak with Jou alone." The brunette crossed his arms and stubbornly looked away. "You said you understood."

"I do!" Ryuuji snapped, his eyes flashing with anger and… hurt? Katsuya's eyes widened and he quickly glanced back and forth between his two tense friends. What was going on? It almost seemed like…

"Then go wait for us with Mokuba," Hiroto ground out, his temper apparently reaching its end. "Or go home, if you don't trust me. Let's go, Jou, Kaiba." He turned his back to Ryuuji and stalked heavily away without waiting for directions.

Worried, and more than a little frustrated at not knowing exactly what _that_ was all about, Katsuya looked at Ryuuji questioningly. "Otogi?"

Ryuuji, who had been staring after Hiroto, turned his eyes towards Katsuya. He was trembling a little, Katsuya noticed with a troubled frown. But the dice-master only shook his head and began to tug agitatedly at his bangs. "Try to understand," was all he muttered before turning on his heel and heading after Mokuba.

"Understand what?" Katsuya asked rhetorically, bewildered by Ryuuji's words. "Argh! What the fuck is going on around here!" He stamped his foot angrily and whirled around to Seto. "Well!"

Seto glared at him for a moment then grabbed his shoulder and shoved him towards the door Hiroto had exited through. "Stop acting like a two-year-old and learn some patience. Honda is going to explain it to you, since you are obviously too thick to realize it yourself."

"Realize what? Explain what?" Did Seto already know what Honda wanted to tell him? That was unfair and outrageous! Katsuya growled and pulled away from the other's grip. They found Hiroto waiting for them in the hallway. "Whatever this is about, Honda, ya better have a damn good reason for keepin' it from me 'til now. I mean, Kaiba and Otogi know before me! _Kaiba_ and _Otogi_! Before your own best bud!" As Katsuya ranted about the injustice of it all, they followed Seto up the stairs to his private office, a place Katsuya had become familiar with over the past week.

By the time they sat down, Hiroto looked appropriately guilty. "Look, man, it's not like that. Kaiba figured it out entirely on his own. He knew before _I_ even did!"

Katsuya flopped back in the sofa and glared huffily at his friend who was standing before him. There was no way he was taking any more crap after that scene downstairs. Whatever Hiroto was not telling him seemed pretty damn important. "Yeah? Whatta 'bout the dice-freak, huh? I saw you guys eyeing each other earlier. What th'fuck was that all about?"

"Uh, that… that's kinda what I need to talk to you about." Hiroto shifted uncomfortably under the weight of the blond's stare. He scratched the back of his head and glanced towards the door, either to check that nobody was listening in or wishing for a chance to escape. Katsuya decided to keep silent for the moment, waiting impatiently for an explanation for his friend's odd behavior. "See, the thing is… I – um, well, dammit. Okay, you remember when Otogi gave me a lift home from school? When Kaiba insisted that I went?"

"And if I recall correctly, you promised a meeting with me that you never showed for," cut in Seto, startling the other two out of their tense staring contest. Katsuya shot him an annoyed glare but saw that the CEO had adopted an expression of bored disinterest, as though he was barely even paying attention to their conversation. Well, that suited Katsuya just fine.

With a frustrated growl, Katsuya gestured for Hiroto to continue. "Yeah, whatta 'bout it?"

Hiroto ran a hand through his hair and began to pace in front of the couch. "Well, he really just wanted an excuse to talk with me. He asked me… s-some stuff about me and you. I guess he's been avoiding us because he, um, he was jealous and – "

"Wait, hold on. Jealous? Of what, our friendship?" Katsuya snorted in disbelief.

"In a way." The other teen sighed and finally went still. He stood in front of Katsuya, looking down at him with an expression that Katsuya did not like one bit. Hiroto muttered something to himself and crouched down until he was eye level with Katsuya. "Listen, I don't want you to hate me for this. I know for a fact your parents have always brainwashed you with a narrow-minded view, but I'm still the same guy who swore to watch your back no matter what."

"S-stop it…" Katsuya cringed back a little as he nervously watched the intense seriousness in his friend's eyes. His stomach felt like it was twisting and churning while he shook his head in denial. He knew Hiroto; he knew him better than anyone. Hiroto wouldn't just… change. He couldn't. Katsuya hated change because how could you trust anything that was inconsistent, that could turn on you in a second without warning?

Hiroto's features tightened. By now, they both seemed to have completely forgotten about Seto's presence. It was just the two of them, facing off over something that could change them forever. "Let me finish, Jou. It's not bad, trust me, okay?" Katsuya hesitated before nodding faintly, doing his best to listen to Hiroto over the sound of blood pounding in his ears. "That day, in the car, he asked me if I was in… in love with you."

"Oh." Katsuya swallowed hard, wrapping his arms around himself in the familiar motion of self-protection. He had a feeling he knew where this was going, no matter how much he tried to deny it. Otogi's actions over the past week were starting to make sense now.

"I… I explained to him a-about us. Not everything, but just… just that we're close. Like family. That you're very special to me and I love you like a brother." Katsuya lowered his eyes to his lap, involuntarily pleased to hear his own feelings towards Hiroto echoed. It wasn't fair. If Hiroto was going to do this to him, he shouldn't be allowed to keep Katsuya from hating him for it. "Otogi… he understood. And… and he… I…" Hiroto choked on his words, apparently unable to continue as Katsuya began to shake his head again.

He didn't want to hear this. He did not want to hear how Otogi must've confessed feelings towards Hiroto, or how the brunette may have returned them. It was too… confusing. Katsuya could not understand how someone he'd known for so long could drop such a bombshell on him. It was impossible to sort through the whirlwind of emotions inside of him at the moment, which only frustrated Katsuya more. He didn't even understand _why_ hearing this from Hiroto hurt so much.

"Jou… don't do this. Please, just – "

"So Otogi finally worked up the nerve to tell you," drawled Seto, causing the other two to jump in alarm. "He is quite the catch. Congratulations."

"Wh-what?" Hiroto stared wide-eyed at the smirking CEO.

Katsuya looked at Seto askance, momentarily jarred from his befuddled thoughts. He scowled, ready to take his frustrations out on the blue-eyed asshole by yelling at him to shut-up and mind his own damn business, but before he could, Seto continued in the same perplexingly calm tone. "His company may still have a ways to go before it even competes with Kaiba Corp but he is certainly not lacking in funds or reputation. As I said, quite the catch."

What was he saying? Hiroto would never…! Incredulous, Katsuya stared at Seto and then at his friend. He was not surprised in the least when Hiroto immediately exploded. "What the _fuck_ are you _implying_! You… How can you even question my motives, you self-centered asshole! I'm _not_ some money-grubbing whore or… or _gold-digger_ or something. I'd like to remind you that _he_ came on to _me_, and even if it'd been the other way around I have _never_ gone out with anyone unless I – "

"Have feelings for 'em…" Katsuya whispered, staring into angry hazelnut eyes with sudden understanding. It was true; Hiroto was not the kind of person to use someone. While he and Katsuya had often sat around in the mall or park girl-watching and practicing their catcalls or joking about just what the perfect woman would be like, Katsuya could count on one hand the number of girls Hiroto had actually seriously dated since they'd known each other. He'd always had a hard time with the breakups as well because he'd only gone out with those he genuinely liked. There was no way he could possibly be using Ryuuji for his money, which meant…

He bit his lip and dropped his eyes to his lap, unsure of how he felt about this situation. Hiroto, his best friend and confidant, the guy he thought he'd known so well over all these years, was… something he'd never, ever have suspected. But Katsuya had always made it a point not to become as narrow-minded as his parents. While he was generally uncomfortable about the idea of homosexuality, he could never hate someone for it. Especially not Hiroto. And yet… he felt ready to cry or scream or _something_ over this revelation. It was more than learning that Hiroto liked another guy; it was… Katsuya felt… mad at _himself._

"You… you like him. Ya really like him and… an' I didn't _know_! I should've known, I mean Otogi was so… obvious, but I didn't _see_… You didn't tell me…" He had a sudden, terrible thought. "Ya were scared to tell me, weren't you? Because I'm an idiot! I'm so stupid, I shoulda known! Some friend I am, huh?"

"What? Jou, no! That's not true and you know it."

Hiroto reached out to grab his shoulder but Katsuya shrugged it away angrily. He stood up, his body trembling as he shook his head and backed away, feeling confused and angry and in pain all at once. It hurt and he didn't even know why. He shut his eyes tight, refusing to look at Hiroto's wounded expression, and hoarsely screamed, "It is true an' _now you're gonna leave me_!"

The last two words seemed to echo throughout the room, over and over again. That was it, Katsuya slowly realized. That was why he did not want to accept the whole thing. It wasn't about Hiroto being gay; it was about him deciding he wanted to be with Ryuuji so much that he felt it was worth the risk. It was about Hiroto finding someone else to devote all his attention and time to so that Katsuya would be left with nothing.

He would be alone again.

'I don't want that. I don't want him to leave me like everyone I care about does. Shizuka… my mom… even my dad in a way. Soon I'll have no one. No family at all.'

All of a sudden a familiar pair of strong arms embraced him tightly, cutting off his panicked thoughts before they could really take hold. He was pulled roughly against Hiroto's body as the other teen harshly berated him. "You _are_ an idiot. Why would you say that, huh? Why would I leave you? I just finished telling you how much I love you. You're my brother in everything but blood; I _couldn't_ abandon you and I don't want to. So don't even think shit like that." His grip tightened around Katsuya until the blond had a hard time drawing breath. Katsuya didn't struggle or reply, listening hard to what Hiroto was trying to tell him and beginning to believe it was true. "I… I don't even really know how I feel about Otogi yet. I mean… I'm attracted to him. I like him. But it's so weird, you know? It's awkward for me, I don't know how to act and he's difficult to deal with. Even if this – thing – lasts, you'll still always be the one I need most. So… so please don't push me away, okay?"

Slowly, Katsuya nodded against Hiroto's shoulder, accepting every word. They never lied to each other so it had to be true. He wasn't going to leave. Relief filled Katsuya as he returned the hug, burying his face against the other's neck for a moment. Then, recalling that they were not completely alone, he pulled away to catch Hiroto's gaze. With a small grin, he prodded the brunette. "Otogi's an ass, y'know."

"Yeah, I do know. Believe me." Hiroto grinned back. "But I think I can handle him all right."

That brought a few images to mind that Katsuya could have done without, but he only rolled his eyes. "Guess I'll hafta learn to like him now. But don't think I'll put up with his crap. And if he ever hurts ya – "

"I know," cut in Hiroto. "You've got my back. Thanks, man."

And that was that. Nothing else needed to be said on the matter. It was still a little weird, of course, but Katsuya figured he could learn to accept it over time. He'd get used to the idea of Hiroto dating Ryuuji; he'd have to.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Ryuuji glanced up when he heard footsteps approach the room. He hadn't remained with Mokuba and the others for very long, unable to act cheerful and sociable when he knew that everything he had recently gained was, in all likelihood, soon to be taken away from him. Instead, he had excused himself and wandered along the main floor until he found an empty den that he could hide out in until it was time to face a certain brunette again. He'd immediately curled up in an armchair and pulled out a couple of dice to fidget with while he tried to clear his mind of the tangled emotions of hurt, anger, disbelief and uncertainty that welled up at the thought of the discussion taking place elsewhere in the giant mansion.

"Otogi, there you are. I've been looking all over for you."

After catching the familiar hazelnut gaze that always, _somehow_, filled him with warmth, Ryuuji frowned and turned his head away. He scowled down at the pair of dice in his left hand, refusing to acknowledge that he was afraid to face the other right now. He heard Hiroto's clothes rustle as the other made his way over to where Ryuuji was. Standing in front of the chair, uncomfortably close, Hiroto looked down at him. "Well… Why are you in here? Yuugi was worried and…"

"Oh, _Yuugi_ was worried. I'm _so_ sorry," snapped Ryuuji, who was struggling with both the urge to lash out at the insensitive teen in front of him and the desire to grab Hiroto by the shirt collar and ravage him senseless. Stupid hormones were no help at all in this situation.

Hiroto appeared taken aback by the other's icy tone. "What the heck's gotten into you? Don't tell me you're still upset about being left behind when I already _told_ you I needed to speak with Jou alone and – "

"Upset? Whatever gave you _that_ idea!" Ryuuji jumped up and shoved Hiroto's chest hard, causing the brunette to stumble back a few steps. "Why the fuck would I be upset with you leaving me out of something that involves me just as much as it does you? Or by the way your life seems to revolve around that damn blond mutt!"

"Watch it, Otogi," Hiroto warned angrily.

"Well, it's true! So what happened, huh? Did he give you his _permission_ to date a guy or did he decide he didn't want a fag for a friend and told you to get rid of me? Oh, _I_ know. Now that you admitted to it, Jounouchi wants you all to himself and knowing you, you willingly agreed to become his fuck-buddy because gods-forbid that _Jounouchi_ is ever denied anything that – "

He didn't even have time to see the punch coming, but suddenly Ryuuji was on the ground cradling his rapidly bruising cheek. Panting, from both his tirade and the throbbing pain, Ryuuji looked up and was shocked to see Hiroto's expression contorted with deep rage. He'd _never_ seen the brunette look so furious before in all the time they'd known each other. "Don't you dare… How could you say… Y-you don't understand a thing!"

"Exactly!" Ryuuji yelled back while scrambling to his feet and backing away before he was beaten to a pulp. He _didn't_ understand a thing. He'd tried to but Hiroto was just so tightlipped and stubborn about everything! The only thing Hiroto would say about the matter was that his and Katsuya's relationship was not sexual, but how could Ryuuji completely trust that when _everybody_ could see how extremely close those two were? Maybe they _had_ never screwed around, but it was very possible that their feelings went deep enough for each other that they'd want to in the future. Ryuuji could see how intense their bond was and he was left feeling like he was intruding on something he couldn't comprehend. He desperately wanted someone to explain to him exactly why Katsuya was so important to Hiroto. He faced Hiroto now, unable to voice this confusion because his pride wouldn't allow him to. This jealousy, or envy, or fear, or _whatever_ it was, was stupid and he knew it, but he couldn't help feeling it. Why couldn't Hiroto see that?

The two teens glared at each other, Ryuuji being careful to keep a few feet of space between them to avoid another bruising. Surprisingly, it was Hiroto who backed down first. The taller of the two relaxed his stance slightly and looked away. "Otogi… I didn't come here to fight. I just… I can't deal with this. I like you and I – I want to try dating you but there's no way it's going to work if you continue getting upset over Jou. He's…" Hiroto trailed off, his last words becoming a mumble that Ryuuji couldn't make out. The brunette slumped down onto the couch and agitatedly rubbed his hands through his hair.

Ryuuji stared at the back of the other's neck for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Fidgeting with his bangs in an effort to think, he finally just sighed and moved towards Hiroto. Slowly, from behind the back of the couch, Ryuuji leaned forward and slipped his arms around Hiroto's shoulders. When Hiroto didn't move or object, he tightened his hold and rested his forehead on Hiroto's back. Glad he couldn't see the other's eyes, Ryuuji shakily muttered, "I'm just worried. Y-you're the first person who's ever meant something to me and it's hard knowing there's someone you already love…" Hiroto began to protest, but Ryuuji cut him off. "You do. You love him even if it's platonic. I just wish you'd explain it to me so I can stop being so… s-so damn _afraid_ I'm going to lose you." So much for pride, Ryuuji thought bitterly. Hiroto probably didn't even understand what he was trying to say right now.

Hiroto turned his head, trying to look at Ryuuji but the nervous teen refused to relinquish his hold. "What do you mean that I'm the first who's meant something?"

Ryuuji hid his grimace against Hiroto's neck, silently berating himself for saying such a stupid thing, but he hesitantly explained anyway. "When you've grown up with a father like mine, you find it hard to trust anybody. People only want to… to use me. They always have, in some way or another. You're the first who hasn't tried to do that." Why was he telling Hiroto this? Could he really afford to open himself up to someone? Hiroto held the power to shatter his very soul at this moment. The following silence lasted for so long that Ryuuji began to doubt himself. Clinging to Hiroto from behind, he frantically denied the instinct to bolt, to get himself out of there away from the possible source of hurt. He was tired of always running away. For once, why couldn't he have someone to care about him for no other reason than because they want to? Was it so impossible?

Without warning, Hiroto twisted around and wrapped his arms tightly around Ryuuji, smashing their lips together in a slightly painful, desperate way. Ryuuji's eyes widened in shock at first but soon slid shut as he practically melted against Hiroto, thrilled and relieved to know that maybe there still was hope. He ignored the couch back digging into his hips and focused on the other's soft lips moving against his own. Eager to taste more, Ryuuji parted his lips in invitation, which Hiroto wasted no time taking advantage of.

"M'sorry," Hiroto mumbled into his mouth, pressing his tongue against Ryuuji's. The ebony-haired boy only moaned and let Hiroto plunder his mouth, lost in the sensation. He felt one of the brunette's hands slide up to the side of his face, caressing his cheek, and he leaned into it, feeling as though he could never get enough of Hiroto's touch. Then Hiroto pulled away a little and Ryuuji stared up through half-lidded eyes into the warm hazel ones only inches away. "I'm sorry," Hiroto repeated, pressing his lips against Ryuuji's forehead, surprising the dice-master with his tenderness. "I'd never use you. Never." Another kiss, this time on his chin. "You deserve so much better." Lips brushing the corner of his mouth. "I like _you_, Otogi. Only you. Please believe me."

Ryuuji jerked his head away, confused and unsure of himself. Did Hiroto really mean what he'd said? "Ho-Honda? I…" Hiroto silenced him with his lips.

"I do like you," said Hiroto, his voice low and slightly hoarse, sending a pleasant shiver up Ryuuji's spine. "I… I'll explain about Jou if it'll help you trust me. You don't have to be jealous of him."

This time it was Ryuuji who leant in and pressed his mouth against Hiroto's. He clung to Hiroto, keeping them together. It was such an incredible feeling to know that someone like Hiroto could really want him without an ulterior motive. Maybe this would work out after all. Maybe they really could be happy together and he'd finally get that "happily ever after" ending he'd always dreamt about as a child. Pushing aside all feelings of mistrust and uncertainty, Ryuuji crawled over the back of the couch without breaking their kiss, needing to feel all of Hiroto against his body. Once in the brunette's lap, he began to trail his lips across Hiroto's jaw and down his throat. "Honda?" he asked softly between kisses.

"Ah… Mm, y-yes?" Hiroto moaned, his scrambling fingers finding the hem of the other's shirt and slipping under it. He stroked Ryuuji's bare back with trembling, calloused hands.

"Will you… Ah, feels good… Will you go out with – Nnn – with me?" Ryuuji panted, enjoying the feeling of Hiroto's tongue and teeth playing with his ear. Vaguely, Ryuuji wondered if this really was the first time Hiroto had ever made out with someone of the same sex. There was none of the hesitance or reluctance that he'd have expected from someone who claimed to have thought himself completely straight up until now. Not that Ryuuji was about to complain, of course.

Hiroto's hot breath hit his skin, laughing silently. "Yes… Yes, Otogi Ryuuji, I will."

"Oh… ah… G-good then. Ooh, do that again…"

-.-.-.-.-.-

It's hard to breathe.

Hard to think.

Feels like I'm drowning… Drowning in luke-warm water that is overtaking my senses and leaving me helpless and exposed, and afraid of what will happen if I try to take just one more breath. Or maybe I am melting, with this unfamiliar heat that is becoming too much to bear, and I'll melt and keep dissolving until I become something that I can no longer recognize – something that may not be me anymore. And I think I am afraid…

Seto's eyes flew open, his heart beating wildly as he inhaled sharply, momentarily disoriented with the sensation of helplessness. He didn't move as he gathered his thoughts and it took a moment for him to realize that he must have dozed off. His back was against a tree and from a few feet behind came the sound of laughter and excited chattering, reminding him where he was and with whom. They were in the park, everyone who had been at his home earlier, playing with duel monster cards because they wanted the fresh air even though Seto had protested that it would be more convenient to stay in the mansion to play that game. It had been six against one, however, and he had lost. Glancing down, Seto saw the novel he'd been reading laying open on his lap. Before he'd fallen asleep so unexpectedly, he had been doing his best to ignore the silliness going on nearby.

Drowning in heat…

Seto almost shuddered as he recalled the dream but managed not to show any sign of his distress. He remembered the feeling from the past, the feeling of being pressed on from all sides until he was sure he would collapse under the pressure, unable to draw breath or enough strength to save himself. It was a sign that something dangerous was threatening his self-erected barriers, the only defense he had against certain emotions he was sure would overwhelm and destroy him if set free. Why was this happening now? He was safe. Gozaburo could not reach him now, so why did he suddenly feel so ill at ease?

"Big brother? What's wrong?" Mokuba was kneeling close beside him, peering up at his face. Seto had been so lost in thought he hadn't even noticed the younger boy approach. The panicky feeling eased slightly at the sight of his brother, at the knowledge the boy was safe, but it did not completely disappear. "Seto? Please tell me. I don't like that look on your face. It always scares me when I see it."

"Keep your voice down," Seto muttered, but another burst of inane giggling reassured him that no one's attention was on the two brothers. "Nothing is wrong." Not that Mokuba would be satisfied with that, Seto knew from experience. The younger Kaiba seemed to have a sixth sense when something was troubling his brother.

As predicted, Mokuba's frown only deepened and he leaned forward to rest a hand on Seto's leg. "I don't believe you. Is it… were you thinking of _him_?" Mokuba hated to say Gozaburo's name aloud, especially around Seto.

Seto sighed internally and reach out to ruffle Mokuba's messy mop of hair, leaving his hand entangled there as reassurance to both himself and Mokuba. If he could trust anybody in this world, Mokuba was it. "A little."

"Why?" Mokuba asked softly.

"I am not sure," answered Seto truthfully. He hadn't let memories of their contemptible stepfather overwhelm him for a long time now. At least, not during his waking hours. "I think something may be… wrong with me," he continued quietly, half to himself. There was a tension within himself that had grown ever since the earlier conversation between Hiroto and Katsuya. Ever since he realized how involved in Katsuya's personal life he'd become.

"Oh, big brother… Have you been having nightmares again?"

"Hn, yes, but that's only part of it." The nightmares had never disappeared, but this indescribable feeling inside of him was something new. Jounouchi. It had to be Jounouchi's fault. He was fine until he'd become close to that mutt.

Seto didn't realize he'd mumbled this theory aloud until Mokuba's eyes widened in surprise. "Jounouchi? What do you mean? What's he got to do with… oh."

Bemused, Seto glared at the boy's shocked expression. "What's 'oh'?"

Mokuba took a quick peek behind him to make sure that nobody was listening in on them before huddling closer to his brother. "Seto," he whispered with an unsure expression, "do you… do you think maybe you _like_ him?"

During a moment of disbelieving silence, Seto quickly repeated the question in his mind, wondering if there were multiple meanings to it that he was missing. But it seemed fairly straightforward. "Who?"

Mokuba rolled his eyes before answering quietly. "Jou, of course!"

Was he really implying what Seto thought he was? "Why would you think that?"

"Well… I…" The boy paused and broke eye contact. With a troubled look on his face, he continued. "Whenever you begin to feel happy or… or good about something or someone, you just suddenly… close off. Shut it out. I know _he_ hurt you very badly and made you believe you'd be hurt even more if you let anyone get close to you, so it makes sense… but it's _wrong_. It's all wrong, Seto!" Mokuba suddenly looked up at him and Seto's heart clenched at the fierce, pleading look in his brother's eyes. "Everyone deserves to be happy, even you! Especially you. It's not a weakness and it scares me that you think it is. Since you came home with Jounouchi, I've noticed you don't seem as cold. You're more relaxed and not so alone and that's so _good_. Don't you see, 'Niisama? If you do like Jou, if he's helping you to open up, then you shouldn't push him away. He's one of the good guys, Seto, and I know he won't hurt you. At least, not in the way you seem to think."

"Moku… ba." Was it true? Was this really how his brother felt? Seto had never realized just how much he worried Mokuba before. But he couldn't… "I can't. Mokuba, I…"

"Yes you can! You can do anything if you just try, Seto. I've seen you overcome the impossible just by putting your mind to it." Mokuba's unwavering faith in him never ceased to amaze Seto. "Jounouchi needs you, too. I've seen you two together lately. You somehow… somehow support each other. I honestly don't understand it but you and Jou seem to _fit_ together."

To even accept what Mokuba was saying seemed absurd, and yet some of the tension inside him eased. Maybe it was knowing Mokuba would never lie to him or maybe it was that, somehow, he wanted to believe in his brother's words, but Seto was suddenly considering that maybe, just _maybe_, there was something more to his attraction towards Katsuya. The blond duelist really had wormed his way close to Seto's heart, no matter how much the CEO tried to deny it.

_Because you're too weak, Seto. You will shatter if you do not learn to reject those pointless emotions._

"Just – just think about it, okay?" Mokuba's voice thankfully pulled Seto away from Gozaburo's ever haunting voice. "Jou says you're friends now and I think that's great. You've never accepted someone as your friend before so that means something, doesn't it?"

That's right. They were friends. Him and Katsuya, friends. It was so easy to forget. Seto frowned thoughtfully at this and slowly nodded. "It could mean something."

Mokuba's relieved smile lit up his face and he leaned against Seto, wrapping his arms around the taller boy's neck to hug him tightly. "Oh, 'Niisama, you have no idea how good it is to hear that. I often worry that you'll end up alone a-and like… like Go-Gozaburo. It's my biggest fear."

It was Seto's fear as well, that he'd turn into his stepfather, although he'd never admitted it aloud. Ever since Gozaburo's death, Seto had done everything in his power to destroy all the evil-minded man had stood for, but he'd found it impossible to erase the memories and even harder to forget the lessons he'd been raised with. Painful lessons that drilled Gozaburo's ideas and cruelness into his mind over and over. He always woke trembling in a cold sweat over nightmares of those times.

"I'll try to accept Jou. That's all I can promise, Mokuba," said Seto, carefully hugging Mokuba back. He was calmer now, the feeling of drowning almost completely gone.

"Hey! What're you guys up to over here?" And suddenly the source of his anxiety was leaning over him. Seto felt a moment of doubt over his promise to Mokuba, but then Katsuya smiled at him and Seto felt his breath catch for an entirely different reason. The blond tugged Mokuba from Seto's lap then grasped Seto's arm. "Kaiiiiba, I need ya. Ya gotta help me defeat Yuugi! Come on, come on!"

_I need ya._

Seto blinked, perturbed by the feelings those three words inspired in him. Was Mokuba right? Could he… _like_ this emotion-driven, crazy, street-wise brat? It went against everything he'd been taught… Maybe _that_ was why the idea of claiming Katsuya as his own was beginning to appeal to him. A sort of rebellion against his stepfather and all that pain.

"Ahh Kaiba, help me out here." Katsuya was still whining, pulling insistently at the brunette's arm.

"Forget it, Jou," teased Honda from where he was sitting comfortably beside his new boyfriend. "Even with Kaiba you don't stand a chance against Yuugi."

Seto sneered then jerked his captured arm towards his body, throwing Katsuya off balance. The blond landed in Seto's lap with a surprised yelp and seemed too stunned to move off right away. Seto grasped the other's shoulders and pulled him in close, leaning in to whisper in Katsuya's ear. "Against the two of us, the pipsqueak won't stand a chance. Let's kick ass."

With a satisfied smirk, Seto released his hold. Katsuya sat back but, other than that, did not move. He was staring at Seto with impossibly wide eyes, a blush visibly spreading across his cheeks. Apparently at a loss for words, Katsuya opened and closed his mouth a few times, a baffled expression on his face. Finally Katsuya muttered, "Y-yeah. Um…" Suddenly noticing he was still seated on Seto's legs, Katsuya scrambled off. When he faced Seto again, his expression had changed back to its former determined cheerfulness. "Well, let's go kick some ass then!"

Seto shook his head at the other's eagerness but still got up and joined Katsuya in front the patiently waiting Yuugi. He caught Mokuba grinning at him but feigned ignorance as he pulled out the deck of cards he always carried with him. As he shuffled them, he glanced sideways at Katsuya, noting the blond's happy countenance. Seto was suddenly aware that he liked seeing that smile on the Katsuya's face. Between Katsuya's father and Honda's confession, Seto had been bothered by the thought that Katsuya may despair and never smile again. It was not a pleasant thought in the least.

Katsuya must have noticed Seto's eyes on him because the soft blush had resurfaced and he was studying his cards with more intensity than was necessary. He was… cute, Seto admitted to himself. Maybe it was easier to just not brood over his feelings towards Katsuya. Just go with it, as Mokuba would say. It would be difficult, but Seto decided he could accept it as a challenge. After their decks had been cut and Yuugi was pondering his first move, Seto finally glanced down at his deck. A Blue-Eyes White Dragon bared its teeth ferociously in his hand. A very good omen. Seto smirked, finally satisfied he was making the right decision.

_Go to hell, Gozaburo. Oh wait… You already did. And now all I have to do is defeat your ghost. You cannot keep me from the happiness I deserve forever._

-.-.-.-.-.-

To Be Continued…

_Can't see the forest for the trees: An expression used of someone who is too involved in the details of a problem to look at the situation as a whole_

**(A/N)** Whoo! I'm back with another chapter. Finally… Ahem, anyway. I really really enjoyed the Honda/Otogi bit, heh. Hope you did as well. Now if only Seto and Jou will just behave and get together too! Stubborn boys… Hm, I guess by this point most of the characters are a little ooc, but not too much I hope. -grumbles-

Yes, Yuugi and Ryou were sporting nosebleeds because they walked in on Yami, Bakura and Malik getting it on. On Yuugi's kitchen counter, nonetheless, thusly scarring the poor boys forever. -grins- No, that doesn't mean they're all in love now haha. I just love Bakura and thought he needed some good sex. No, Honda and Otogi didn't have sex on Seto's couch (They wouldn't have lived for much longer if Seto caught them at that!), but they did have a nice long make-out session. And finally, Seto and Jou lost to Yuugi – of course, what did you expect? – Although it was a very close game.

'Til next time.

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em!


	12. Crossing the Rubicon

**Warnings**: shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, etc...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU

**Pairings**: Seto/Jou; Honda/Otogi;

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas.

-.-.-.-.-.-

**Inescapable You **

Chapter 12: Crossing the Rubicon

"Aaaah!" Screams filled the night air with a mixture of terror and excitement, and Katsuya's thrilled shrieks were lost among the noise of the crowd. The wind rushed against his face, stealing his breath away and whipping his long bangs away from his face. When the ride finally rolled to a stop on level tracks, Katsuya was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe and he clung to his taller companion's arm while they unsteadily scrambled out of the car. "Wow! That was fuckin' awesome! Let's do it again!"

"Never. I believe I left my stomach back at that last hill and I've gone deaf in the ear you were screeching in." This only made Katsuya laugh harder as he looked up at the disheveled CEO. Seto was looking away with a slightly sickened expression, his skin paler than usual and his brown hair completely blown out of its usual ordered style. Katsuya grinned, deciding he liked the windblown look on the normally composed rich-boy. It had taken him more than an hour to convince Seto to ride the roller coaster, but it had been totally worth it.

There had been little excitement in the two weeks since the day Katsuya's father had barged into the Kaiba Corp office building, and the blond teenager couldn't have been happier now. He would never have believed that Seto was actually a pretty cool guy once one got past his severe, icy exterior, but he'd been slowly learning that there was more to the young CEO than the obsessions with work and Duel Monsters. It was easier to get along with Seto and to deal with the brunette's aloof attitude now that they had formed a kind of friendship. Not that they were all buddy-buddy like Katsuya and Yuugi or Hiroto, but there was more respect between them at least. In the last couple of weeks Katsuya had grown comfortable with Seto. Even more surprising, the two seemed to balance each other's strengths and weaknesses well. Katsuya accepted that Seto's business was important to the Kaibas, but he did not allow Seto to overwork himself and he always made sure that the brunette allowed for some fun and relaxation in his busy schedule. On the other hand, Seto forced Katsuya to work on his atrocious study habits as well as learn to reign in his sometimes-explosive emotions. Despite that they could not get away from each other anyway, Katsuya was beginning to love spending time with Seto Kaiba. Especially on days like this when he managed to drag the brunette somewhere fun.

Actually, both Katsuya and Mokuba had teamed up against Seto this time. There was a carnival set up in the largest park in Domino for a week and the two had finally convinced Seto to take them this weekend. Katsuya was, of course, having the time of his life among the rides, snacks and games. The younger Kaiba brother had ran off an hour ago with a friend of his, so Katsuya and Seto were left to themselves for a while. Much to Katsuya's further delight, Seto seemed to be in an accommodating mood tonight and complained very little about being dragged from one place to the next.

The two teenagers made their way off the roller coaster platform and, for the moment, strolled aimlessly through the crowd. "Wasn't this a great idea? Admit it, your havin' fun," teased Katsuya with a wide grin.

Seto glanced at him askance. He raised an eyebrow skeptically but only said, "No more roller coasters or any fast rides unless you wish me to throw up on you. And do not doubt that I will aim for you if it happens."

Katsuya snickered but heeded the warning and steered them in the direction of the game booths instead. The entire area was alight with brightly colored lanterns and filled with the shouts of carnies drawing people over to their booths. "Ooh, let's play that one!" Katsuya pointed and tugged on the arm he was still holding, which he quickly dropped when he realized this. Geeze, people were probably staring at them like they were a couple on a date at the carnival. Katsuya's cheeks heated at the thought and he quickly turned his attention to the attendant at the game booth. Before he could say anything, however, Seto handed over some money to the man who gave them each a plastic squirt gun.

"Hit as many targets as you can with the water," explained the attendant.

With a grin, Katsuya brought up his gun and fired away. His spray neatly took out the first few targets but then another stream of water joined his and suddenly the targets were all efficiently shot down before Katsuya even had a chance to aim at them. He stared in shock for a moment before sulkily tossing his gun on the counter in defeat. Damn, should've known Seto would beat him even at a game as silly as this.

"Nice try, pup." The tall brunette smirked. Then again, maybe it was worth losing to him if it meant that he was finally having a good time. Barely refraining from childishly sticking his tongue out at the other, Katsuya sighed and looked around for something else to play.

"Here." A small furry _something_ was shoved under his nose. Surprised and baffled at the action, Katsuya blinked and studied the stuffed animal being held out to him. A fuzzy, brown puppy-dog plushie stared cutely back at him with bright, golden glass eyes. Its large ears flopped down and a small pink tongue hung out of its grinning mouth. It took Katsuya only a second to realize what it meant and he quickly glared up at Seto. The brunette grinned back. "I won it for you."

To Katsuya's embarrassment, he felt his face heat up and knew he was blushing at Seto's choice of words. The angry insults he'd been about to shout back died in his throat and he just blinked at the stuffed puppy in amazement. Seto was giving him the prize? "Er… I'm not a girl yanno. Ya shouldn't give me stuffed toys." But he carefully took the puppy from Seto's hands anyway. His confusion deepened when Seto only shrugged and looked away with an unreadable expression. "Well, uh…"

"The fireworks will begin soon. Let's find a good spot to view them from." The brunette turned on his heel and began walking away, forcing Katsuya to follow behind. Katsuya chose not to argue but he studied the back of his taller companion with a bemused frown, unconsciously hugging the puppy close to his body. It was strange, but he was sure that Seto had been acting kind of off lately. Every once in a while Katsuya would catch the other watching him with a, dare he say, softer look in his generally cold blue eyes. He wasn't sure what to make of it yet and couldn't even be sure that he wasn't only imagining things, but he had noticed it again just before Seto had turned away after handing him the toy. If he wasn't imagining it, then what did it mean? For some reason, when he caught Seto looking at him in that strange way, warmth filled his body. It was that part that troubled him most.

They reached the edge of the crowded rides and games and continued on across the grass. People had set up blankets all around and were sitting together, chatting and watching the festivities around them. It was darker out here where the lights ended and Katsuya sped up a little until he was walking alongside the brunette. He looked around happily at all the smiling, cheerful people, hardly able to contain his excitement at being able to join them out here. Spotting a clear spot on top of a nearby hill, Katsuya pointed it out and they headed over to it.

"Wow!" Katsuya exclaimed as they sat down on the grass. "This'll be an awesome view for the fireworks." He'd been a little surprised when Seto had suggested staying until after dark to see the show, but he wasn't about to risk the other changing his mind by bringing it up. Might as well enjoy it. Smiling to himself, Katsuya put his hands behind his head and lay back on the grassy hillside, gazing up at the starry sky overhead.

After a few minutes of peaceful silence, the blond turned his head to the side to glance at Seto, only to find the other's unreadable azure eyes already focused on him. Seto was still sitting up, arms wrapped loosely around his raised knees and his head turned a little to meet Katsuya's gaze. Their eyes met and Katsuya shifted uncomfortably, slightly unnerved without really knowing why. "What?" The blond asked, feeling the need to break the silence. For some reason, he felt almost trapped by the other's gaze and he hated that more than anything. Why was Seto always _looking_ at him these days? He shivered, still unable to break eye contact, pulled in by those sharp blue eyes that seemed to bore straight through him.

Before either could say anything more, there was a loud crack and an explosion. The sky brightened with red and gold sparks that rained down over the gasping crowd. Grateful for the distraction, Katsuya turned his attention to the display of fireworks. His mind, however, stayed on the confusion he felt over the changes taking place between Seto and himself. And there was change, no doubt about that, only… He wasn't sure if he was comfortable with where things might to be headed. Seto couldn't really want… Couldn't think that… They _had_ kissed already, he supposed. Maybe that's what had the other behaving so peculiarly. But Katsuya had reacted extremely badly the first time, and the second kiss was only a peck on the cheek so it didn't count, right? Could Seto really want more?

Katsuya was thankful for the darkness that hid his reddened cheeks. He could not believe he was actually dwelling on such crazy notions. And _blushing_. Ugh, he'd never blushed so much in his life. They had been tied together for three weeks now and had somehow become so much closer, but certainly neither of them felt… No, this was Seto Kaiba he was thinking about. The multimillionaire CEO whom all the boys at school had deemed asexual. The guy probably didn't have a romantic bone in his body and definitely couldn't have any sort of feelings for the 'loser mutt.' That first kiss had just been a mistake, a way to make Katsuya shut up. That was all.

Oh great, way to sound like he was making up excuses. Katsuya grunted, frustrated with his circular thinking. Anyway, all of that was beside the point. They were both guys and Katsuya was only interested in girls. His father would kill him if he thought otherwise. Even… even if Seto was kind of… hot.

Katsuya's eyes widened. No. Oh no. No no no. Did he just think… Crap. He did. It was all Seto's fault for acting so different – nicer – lately. On top of the fact that he was actually enjoying the other duelist's company these days. He was confused, that's all. Nothing to panic about. Nothing at all. Just a –

"You look as though you've just swallowed a bug. Are the fireworks not to your taste or what?"

It was Hiroto's fault! That's it. He put these ideas in Katsuya's head by coming out about liking Ryuuji. Katsuya was going to kick his ass for this the next time they –

"Jounouchi, wake up. The show's over."

No. Hold on. He was brave enough to admit that Kaiba Seto was hot. For a guy, that is. Everybody said so. Hell, he was supposedly the most eligible bachelor according to those girly magazines Anzu was always toting around. Of course he was hot. But that didn't mean that Katsuya was actually _attracted_ to the arrogant prick, right? He _definitely_ wasn't attracted. At all. Not to Kaiba Seto, or his dangerous ocean-blue gaze that one could drown in once the ice melted. Not to that flawlessly built, slender body that Katsuya fit against so perfectly when he woke up in the other's arms most mornings…

"Ah! Holy shit!" Katsuya sat up in shock when a hand roughly shook his shoulder, tearing him away from the frightening turn his thoughts had taken. Clutching his shaking hands, and consequently the puppy, against his chest, he desperately tried to slow his breathing and heart rate. "'The hell, Kaiba? Ya scared me half to death. Gimme warning next time, huh?"

Seto's eyes gleamed with amusement as Katsuya glared at him. "I did. What had you so preoccupied that you didn't hear me?"

"N-nothing." Yeah right, like he was going to admit that he'd been thinking about Seto's body. Ack, now he was blushing again. Super.

He had the sudden terrible notion that maybe Seto could read minds because the brunette was staring at him oddly. But, to his relief, the other only smirked and leaned back on his hands. "I suppose we will have to head back. I told Mokuba to wait for us at the gates after the firework show."

Katsuya blinked and then realized that the sky was dark now. The fireworks had ended without him realizing it. "Aw man, I wish we could stay here forever." Despite the worrying thoughts over his feelings towards Seto and vice versa, he'd actually been enjoying the night. It was nice to relax like this in the other's company. It made him feel normal and he liked that. Even better, Seto seemed almost like a regular, care-free teenager when they were together like this.

Surprisingly, Seto didn't argue. "I will admit that I've enjoyed our time here as well. I am sure I'll have nightmares about that life-threatening roller coaster, however."

Katsuya snickered as he recalled the look on Seto's face after they'd gotten off the ride. It would provide great teasing material later on. Sobering a little, he spontaneously leaned to the side, resting his shoulder against the brunette's. He felt the other stiffen slightly at the unexpected action, but neither moved away. "Hey, Kaiba? Thanks for today. It was fun. I hated makin' ya pay for it all."

"It is not as though I can't afford it." Seto snorted lightly. His low, smooth voice caused the blond to relax further against him. When he didn't think to deeply about it, Katsuya found himself taking pleasure in the other's warmth against his side.

"Mm, well, that's not the point. I jus' don't like depending on others more than I hafta."

"Yes, I understand that." And Katsuya believed he did. Seto was the most prideful, independent person he knew after all. He could never imagine the CEO depending on anybody for anything. It was one of the things he admired about Seto.

"The puppy's cute too. Even if it was probably meant as an insult." Laughing softly, Katsuya held the stuffed animal up and waved it around a little.

"Hn. It was not an insult."

Taken aback by the serious tone, Katsuya cocked his head to the side and opened his mouth to ask for clarification, but he froze when he felt something press lightly, almost hesitantly, against the small of his back. It could only be Seto's hand, but… Unsure of what to do or say, Katsuya remained silent and studied the other's face in hopes of clues as to what Seto was thinking. Seto was not looking at him; instead, his gaze was fixed on the lights of the carnival below them, his expression closed off. It took a few minutes of baffled stillness before it suddenly struck Katsuya that perhaps Seto was just as uncertain and insecure as himself. For some reason, the thought of a less than confident Seto made Katsuya smile.

"What is it then? The puppy, I mean," the blond finally asked, relaxing again against Seto after deciding he would just ignore the hand on his back for now. It would be weird to bring it and the implications that came with it up anyway.

Seto tensed again and his eyes widened so slightly that Katsuya would have missed it if he hadn't been watching for it. Ah, so Seto hadn't been expecting Katsuya to accept the new contact so easily. A moment passed before the brunette spoke, but when he did he also pretended that everything was normal between them. "It's whatever you want to make of it."

"Oh." The hint of warmth in the other's voice was unexpected. Fidgeting a little with the stuffed toy in his lap, Katsuya sighed and decided to end this strange _moment_ between them before it became too much for him to handle. It was surprising that he wasn't panicking already. Maybe it was only the peaceful, night-time atmosphere or maybe he was not as opposed to the idea of liking a guy as he thought, but he didn't want to risk going further than he was comfortable with at the moment. There'd be time to think it over later. Heck, it wasn't as if Seto would be going anywhere without him.

As he climbed to his feet he felt Seto's hand slip away and, unexpectedly, felt a moment of loss. He shook it off, however, and stretched his arms out. "Wow, Mokuba's probably thinkin' we left without him. We should go find him before he freaks out, huh?"

He was half afraid that Seto would say something about Katsuya's hasty separation, but fortunately the brunette only nodded and stood up as well, absently brushing off the seat of his pants. "If he was worried, he would have called my cell. It is more likely that he's late as well."

"Oh, right." Glancing around, Katsuya noticed the grounds were quickly emptying as everybody began to make their way home. It was pretty late after all, sometime after midnight although he didn't have a watch to check the specific hour. The excitement of the day suddenly caught up with him and a yawn escaped his lips while he and Seto slowly walked down the hill and in the direction of the park gates. Drowsily, he looked sideways at Seto to make a comment about the fireworks, but became sidetracked by the brooding frown on the other teen's face. Well… that wasn't any good. He'd been hoping for a more relaxed, content expression after the pleasant time they'd been having the last several hours. Maybe Seto really was upset that Katsuya had brushed him off so easily. Blaming it on fatigue, Katsuya drifted closer to Seto and quietly slipped his hand into the other's with the vague hope that it would cheer the brunette up a little.

Seto's steps faltered and his head whipped around to stare at the blond in open astonishment. It was almost enough to make Katsuya snicker, but instead he kept his eyes averted and tried to act as though he wasn't in fact holding his former-rival's hand. "Jounouchi…"

"Hm?" Don't say anything, Kaiba, or I'll realize what I'm doing and probably hate myself for it, Katsuya thought desperately. He was tired of dealing with all the confusion and frustration that he felt about Seto these days and so, just this once, he wanted to stop worrying about what it meant to enjoy being close to Kaiba Seto. It was impossible to deny the warmth that filled him when he happened to be on the receiving end of Seto's rare smiles, or to be held in the blue-eyed duelist's comforting arms, which had happened quite often in these past few weeks. It was silly to feel this way, Katsuya thought. He wasn't supposed to be attracted to guys. It just wasn't… right. But… maybe it wasn't so wrong either.

Doubt began to replace sleepiness and he started to pull back his hand, but Seto tightened his grip, not allowing the blond to escape. Slightly comforted by the other's response, Katsuya looked away in embarrassment but let himself calm down, taking guilty pleasure in the feel of Seto's warm, smooth fingers intertwined with his own.

Hand in hand, they walked out of the park. Even when they met Mokuba at the gates, they did not let go. The younger boy had only given their joined hands a curious glance before ignoring it and, bouncing along beside them while holding his brother's other hand, chattered noisily about the things he had done at the carnival.

In the back of the limousine that had been waiting for them at the street, Katsuya slumped tiredly into the leather seat and barely noticed the others sliding in next to him. He couldn't wait to get home to sleep. He did notice, however, the familiar feeling of Seto's eyes on him. Warily, he tilted his head to peer questioningly at Seto's face.

Seto smiled at him, a real smile, and Katsuya was suddenly overwhelmed by the heat that flared up inside of him.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Argh! I don't get it! This is pointless."

Seto glanced away from the screen of his laptop computer in time to watch Katsuya's head hit the surface of the table with a distinctive 'thunk.' Across from him, Yuugi and Anzu raised their heads as well, wincing in unison as they watched their groaning friend. The four students were seated around a table in the school library where they were studying for the final exams that were fast approaching. Textbooks, papers, pencils and notebooks were spread out in front of them as proof of the hours they had already spent sitting there that afternoon. Their final class of the day, which had been a study period anyway, was long over and, while the CEO felt he had better things to do than waste his time here all night, the other three had stubbornly reminded him that _he_ might have the ability to get full marks on all his exams with hardly any preparation at all, but _they_ certainly could not. That was reasonable, of course, but secretly Seto had given in without an argument only because he'd silently admitted that it was his fault Katsuya was panicking so much about the finals in the first place. After all, he had forced Katsuya, who had barely been passing his regular classes, into the advanced courses.

Reaching across the table, Anzu sympathetically patted the down turned blond head. "Don't worry, Jounouchi, there's still three weeks to figure it out."

"And we'll help you all we can!" Yuugi added with an optimistic smile, although Seto thought he detected a hint of doubt in the boy's large, purple eyes.

"I'm doomed. I can't learn all this in three weeks," was the muffled response. "An' my head hurts…"

Seto rolled his eyes and turned back to his laptop where spreadsheets filled the screen. Katsuya had been whining for the past half hour and it was beginning to get on his nerves. Surely the blond did not think he was actually expected to write the exams for those courses that he was not supposed to even be taking at this point? Of course, Seto was taking too much satisfaction out of watching Katsuya squirm at the moment, so he had been keeping the information to himself.

"Kaiba!" Instinctively he spun around at the sound of his name. Katsuya, who had shifted his chair closer, placed his hands on Seto's knees and stared up into his face with wide, earnest eyes that immediately brought the image of a begging puppy dog to Seto's mind. "You'll let me peek at your answer sheets, right? You'll hafta sit by me anyway and – "

"Jounouchi! That's cheating! You can't just – "

"Yes, I can!" Katsuya glared back at Anzu. "I don't like it either, but if it'll let me graduate…"

With an exasperated snort, Seto ignored the escalating argument and instead noticed that Katsuya's hands were still resting on his knees, their warmth seeping through the thin material of Seto's pants. He smirked a little, vaguely pleased with how comfortable Katsuya seemed with the close contact now. Weeks ago, Seto had taken Mokuba's words to heart and began reevaluating his relationship with the fiery young man bound to him. At first, he was mostly desperate to understand how he had come to have such a soft spot for his once insignificant rival in such a short period of time. He spent time discreetly observing Katsuya, hoping to see what it was that attracted him to the one he had always viewed as an uncouth proletariat. To his astonishment, Katsuya not only noticed Seto's sudden attention, but also responded to it in surprising ways. Katsuya seemed to become more open and at ease in Seto's presence. And then, the other night, at the carnival after the fireworks, Katsuya had not pulled away from Seto's touch, and had even been the one to take Seto's hand as they walked to the car. For the first time, Seto did not question the way his feelings toward Katsuya were changing. He'd felt warm and at peace with himself. Was that what Gozaburo called 'weakness'? Were these emotions really a flaw that would destroy him?

He's wrong, Seto thought sternly. That hateful bastard was wrong. It could not be a weakness. Loving his brother, Mokuba, had only made him stronger – strong enough to overcome Gozaburo's control, so why would it be any different to let Katsuya into his heart as well?

A headache began to form as he tried to sort out his tangled thoughts, so he let them go for now and turned his attention back to the present. Beside him, Katsuya sulkily glared down at the table while Yuugi and Anzu were both trying to reassure him that he could pass the exams without resorting to something as shameful as cheating. Tired of listening to their annoying voices and ready to head home, Seto wearily packed his things away into his briefcase and then placed his hand lightly on Katsuya's shoulder. "Say goodbye to your friends. We are leaving now."

"Huh?" Katsuya turned in surprise and then gave him a relieved grin. "Great! Just let me gather my stuff."

For a moment, Seto watched the blond try to stuff everything haphazardly into his school bag. It obviously was not going to fit that way, but Katsuya did not seem to notice or care. Finally, the brunette snatched the bag away and dumped its contents out again onto the table.

Katsuya, too stunned to retaliate, blurted out, "Hey! What'd ya do that for!"

"It's too painful to watch you sometimes," Seto muttered absently while he placed the textbooks and papers into neat, organized piles with practiced ease, and smoothly slipped them into the backpack. He handed back the zipped-up bag with a smirk. "See how much easier it is if you only take a few seconds to organize it?"

Katsuya appeared put out for a second as he stared down at the ragged backpack in his hands. His lips turned down in a small pout when he made eye contact with Seto again. "It works my way just as good."

"You are so childish." Seto rolled his eyes and stood up. He paused, however, when he noticed the expressions on the other two students' faces. "What are you gawking at?"

"Um… nothing…" Anzu said innocently, blushing lightly as she dropped her gaze to the book in front of her.

Yuugi flicked his gaze between Seto and Katsuya. "You guys seem to be getting along well lately." For once, Seto found it impossible to read the millennium puzzle-bearer's expression, which was never a good thing.

Katsuya apparently picked up on the strange vibe emanating from his friend because he shuffled nervously and said, "I guess…" Seto said nothing, believing that he did not owe anybody, especially Yuugi, an explanation.

Yuugi appeared perplexed by this response, but suddenly Anzu lifted her head again and studied the two standing boys intently. Her gaze met Katsuya's uneasy one and her face broke into a bright, understanding smile. "I hope you know that we will always support you, Jounouchi, no matter what you decide. You will never lose us just for being who you are."

All three boys stared at her. Somehow Seto sensed that her comment had nothing do with Katsuya cheating on the upcoming exams. He had no idea how to interpret it, but when he looked over, the blond's expression was not one of confusion but of recognition, hope and relief. "Anzu, I…" Katsuya bit his lower lip and frowned. He shook his head hard, as though shaking away unwelcome thoughts, and slung his bag over his shoulder. "I dunno what you're talkin' about. I gotta go. See ya guys tomorrow."

Katsuya carefully avoided Seto's inquiring gaze as they left the library. The entire ride home, the blond stared broodingly out the car window and Seto was too unsure of the situation to break the silence. It irked him that Anzu's words had seemed to make sense to Katsuya but not to himself and that Katsuya was clearly bothered by them. When they exited the limousine at Kaiba's mansion, Katsuya paused at the bottom of the front steps and stopped Seto as well by lightly grabbing his left wrist. "Hey, uh, can we stay out here for awhile? Take a walk in the gardens maybe? I need some fresh air."

Seto raised an eyebrow at this but gave in with a short nod. He handed his briefcase and Katsuya's schoolbag to the chauffeur to bring into the house for them, and then led Katsuya to the sprawling gardens behind the mansion. At this time of year, everything was in full bloom, from the brightly colored flowers and vines to the hedges and trees, all of it carefully grown and tended to by the Kaibas' hired gardeners. The two teenagers walked in silence for a while until Katsuya pointed out a bench by the small koi pond near the center of the property, shaded by the large, leafy branches of an oak and a few plum trees. Seto smiled slightly as they sat down and relaxed, enjoying the warm weather and the calming atmosphere of his gardens. Somehow, troubling matters of the world outside always seemed dampened here.

"Hey, uh… Can I ask ya somethin'?" The quiet voice hesitantly broke the stillness after a while. Turning his head a fraction to look at his companion out of the corner of his eye, Seto took in the slight blush on Katsuya's cheeks, which piqued his curiosity, and nodded once. The blond was staring down at his hands, which were clasped tightly in his lap. He took a deep breath and asked, "How… Um, how did ya know you, er… preferred guys?"

The question caught Seto off guard. Memories rushed into his mind but, unlike most, these ones brought a tiny smile to his lips. Seeing no harm in sharing this part of his past, and hoping it would ease Katsuya's mind somewhat, the brunette leaned back and closed his eyes while he spoke. "At the age of fourteen I was forced to bring an important chairman's daughter as my date for an annual business function hosted by Gozaburo. Her older brother, the chairman's heir, attended as well and I found that my eyes constantly strayed towards him, while my date held no interest for me. He was very well groomed, tall, handsome, and he intrigued me ways that left me unsettled. For the entire evening my thoughts were filled with him, although I could not understand why at the time, and I frequently stole fascinated glances at him. I'd thought I was discreet about it but he must have caught on at some point because he managed to catch me alone near the end of the night and…" Seto trailed off, realizing it had been a very long time since he had revisited this memory. Why is it that only the unhappy times of his past plagued him continuously, while the good ones, such as his first kiss, were pushed so far to the back of his mind that he forgot he ever had any positive experiences at all?

"He, uh, kissed you?" Katsuya asked uncertainly when the pause stretched for several minutes.

"My first." Seto opened his eyes and stared unseeing at the still waters of the pond near their feet. It was strange to think back on that time, it was so long ago. Too much had changed since then.

"So… so you knew? Just like that? Didn't you… Weren't you upset or confused or _something_?" Seto snapped out of his daze upon hearing the other's almost frantic tone. Upset honey-brown eyes met his questioning gaze. "How could ya just accept it so easily?"

Seto frowned, wondering at Katsuya's distressed words. Why would he care how Seto had reacted, unless…? "Tell me about your first kiss."

Katsuya's eyes widened further and his face paled. "I… I don't…" He quickly shook his head and turned it away, strengthening Seto's suspicions.

Cursing silently in his head, Seto thought fast. If he was right, then he'd really made a mess of things. No wonder Katsuya had been so freaked out that time. It was only natural when your supposed male enemy kissed you out of the blue and then acted as though it were nothing. Hoping he was mistaken, Seto quietly asked, "Who was it that kissed you first?"

All this time the mixed-up teen must have been suppressing the anxiety, anger and other confusing emotions sprung upon him at the time of their kiss, for it all suddenly burst out of him now. Katsuya sprung to his feet and turned on Seto with such explosive force that the brunette could only sit there in shock, listening to the heated words tumbling uncontrolled out of the other's mouth. "I'd never kissed anyone before! My parents wasted their years together, hurt so many people. I wasn't goin' to make the same fuckin' mistake as them! I was waitin' for someone who'd never hurt me, who I loved an'… an' then ya jus' swooped in and stole it all! You fuckin' stole my first kiss, ya asshole. I wanted to hate ya for it. Shit, I tried so hard to hate ya, but… but ya jus'… I _can't_! It hurts but I can't even hate ya or forget… or…" Katsuya gasped for air, his shoulders hunched and face reddened in anger and frustration. And then just as suddenly his shoulders dropped and he stared at Seto with a hopeless look in his eyes. "I don't wanna be gay, Kaiba. I… I hurt my family enough as it is an' my dad… he says a lot that the least I could do is give him grandchildren that aren't as screwed up as me. If… if I like a guy then… wouldn't that just hurt too many people? Wouldn't they all jus' hate me more? I can't live with that. I can't… I… I need…"

Seto stared hard up at the other teen, trying to sort out what exactly Katsuya was telling him. Did this mean that Katsuya was attracted to him, but just too frightened of the consequences to admit it? If that was the case, then Seto could relate. He sighed a little and suppressed the urge to fidget uncomfortably under the other's bemused glare. It was difficult to know how to respond to Katsuya because Seto was just as reluctant to broach the subject of their uncertain relationship. Putting his feelings in to words would make it too real. He was not used to being open with anybody, he even held many things back from Mokuba, because it would leave him vulnerable… weak…

'Every thought, every emotion, every word you say can be used against you. And people will search for that weakness in you, Seto, do not doubt it. They will use your feelings against you, hurt you, even destroy you if they can…'

Gozaburo had taught him. Gozaburo. Seto gritted his teeth and made a decision. He would _not_ listen to his stepfather's poisoned words in this situation. Seto Kaiba would not allow himself to be controlled by a dead man. Feeling a sense of satisfaction over his defiance, the young CEO stood from the bench and resolutely peered directly into Katsuya's wary eyes. "What do _you_ want, Jounouchi?"

Katsuya gaped at him in astonishment and then blinked uncertainly. "W-what?"

"You heard me." Seto took a step closer as Katsuya shied away nervously. "You are always putting others before yourself, always afraid of hurting your friends or family until it comes to the point where they practically dictate your life. What about you, though? Are you satisfied with hiding from yourself and cowering beneath other peoples' expectations?" He narrowed his eyes, taking in Katsuya's frozen expression. He could see panic and denial there, but also a dawning hint of something else that encouraged Seto to continue despite his own growing discomfort. Seto went on a tad more gently, "So stop thinking for once about what Yuugi, or Honda, or your father, or anybody else wants and consider what _you_ really desire for yourself. What would make you happy?" Truly, he had no idea where his words were coming from. Seto almost felt silly saying these things to Katsuya, despite the seriousness of it all. He had never once concerned himself with anybody's happiness aside from his brother's, and yet now he found he was honestly curious to hear Katsuya's answer. Mokuba, he imagined, would probably be ecstatic to learn his big brother was actually connecting with someone outside their little two-person family.

The blond was still speechlessly staring at him, but Seto patiently waited for the other teen to pull his thoughts together. It took many minutes but Katsuya finally snapped out of his daze and drew in a shaky breath. "I… I don't…" His voice was slightly hoarse and he suddenly scowled down at the ground. "W-what about you? You're the same. The only difference is ya do it to keep _yourself_ from gettin' hurt, right?"

"At least I am trying to break away from Gozaburo's influence. Can you say the same about your father?" Seto countered.

Katsuya opened his mouth angrily but then awareness washed over his face and he abruptly raised his head again. Seto hid the disquiet he felt as the other's narrowed eyes scrutinized him. "You have," said Katsuya cryptically.

What was that supposed to mean? Bemused, Seto asked, "I have what?"

Surprisingly, Katsuya's features relaxed a little while he answered, "You've changed. Before all this happened to us, we were never able to even have a decent conversation, and now you're askin' me about what would make me happy. The Kaiba I knew wouldn't give a damn about anyone but himself. So… so it's 'cause you're purposely defying Gozaburo?"

"Yes." The brunette nodded. It seemed Katsuya was beginning to understand now.

Katsuya bit his lower lip hesitantly. "I… I see. But it's different for you. He's dead, so you don't have to face him every day."

"You are strong enough to stop listening to your father's lies. And you won't be alone, either, not with Yuugi, Honda and the rest around to support you."

"And you?"

Seto blinked, and then smirked a little in relief. "Yes. And me."

Katsuya sighed heavily and looked away toward the other side of the pond. When he spoke, Seto had to strain to catch Katsuya's soft, hesitant words. "It's hard to separate what I want from what I think is expected of me, but… but I think… What would make me happy… I wanna stay with you and learn more about you. A-and I wanna find out why you make me feel so warm inside and I… I want to kiss you again."

That had certainly been more than what Seto had expected to hear. For a second, it all felt too surreal. He gazed in growing wonder at the heated blush that spread rapidly across Katsuya's face and decided that he had not misheard after all. Taking the few steps to close the distance between them, Seto placed one hand on the shorter blond's cheek and forced their eyes to meet. As far as he could tell, there was only open honesty in those brown eyes, as well as hints of curiosity, uncertainty and embarrassment. And desire, he realized. There was definitely desire there.

Carefully, unwilling to let his mind fully realize what he was about to do because then the barriers he'd let down after so long might instinctively spring up again and ruin everything, Seto let his own longing for Katsuya show through. "I can give you what you want," the words were spoken almost unconsciously as he leaned in closer, feeling Katsuya's breathing speed up as the puffs of warm air washed invitingly over his mouth. "I can make you happy." And perhaps you can make me happy as well, he added silently.

When no protest was forthcoming, Seto slowly closed the gap and touched his lips to Katsuya's. He was not prepared for the overwhelming relief he felt as their lips met. It felt as though he'd just received his first taste of water after a century of drought, and now all he could think was 'finally… finally…' Keeping his hand against Katsuya's heated cheek, he placed his other arm around the blond's waist and pulled him closer, relishing the whimper that rose from Katsuya's throat. Seto couldn't understand how one little kiss could do this… could make him feel so _much_ at once.

When they pulled away, arms still around each other, both faces were flushed. They stared at each other for a dazed moment, and then Katsuya broke the spell with a groan. "Ah dammit… Now I can't even pretend I don't like ya." He rested his forehead against Seto's shoulder in defeat.

Seto smiled and closed his eyes, tightening his hold on the boy in his arms. He never knew it could feel this good to be close to somebody and somehow it seemed right. He knew it would hit him later how much he'd allowed his walls to crumble, all because of Katsuya, and he might even despise himself for letting someone see his human-side, the weakness it represented. But right now, with Katsuya's body pressed comfortably and perfectly against his own and the unexpected feeling of relief and warmth filling him, he really could not bring himself to care about the consequences.

Leaning back, Katsuya grinned mischievously up at him. "Ya must've improved, Kaiba. 'Didn't make me barf this time."

"Very funny, Mu-" His voice trailed off in a surprised moan when Katsuya drew his head down into another kiss. This time Katsuya's mouth softened and opened a little, his tongue flicking out to lick Seto's lower lip. Pleased at the blond's unexpected boldness, Seto parted his own lips and deepened the kiss, enjoying his first real taste of Jounouchi Katsuya. For once, his mind was blank and all he could do was feel – feel Katsuya's soft, moistened lips move fervently against his own, feel Katsuya's fingers running through his hair, take in the taste and scent that was purely Katsuya. Was this what losing control felt like? Was this supposed to be his weakness? How could he possibly be expected to close himself off to something that made him feel so good, so alive?

Katsuya studied him carefully when they finally broke apart, his slightly swollen lips curved in a content smile. "I've never seen ya close to anybody before, Kaiba. I never thought ya could accept this sort of thing so easily. Why me? What makes me special enough to be allowed to touch you and earn your trust and have you hold me close, huh?"

I love you. But Seto said nothing and only pressed his lips against Katsuya's again, hiding from the blond the sheer terror that threatened to engulf him when those three unspeakable words formed in his mind.

-.-.-.-.-.-

To Be Continued…

_Cross the Rubicon: (ROOH-bi-kon) To make an irrevocable decision; it comes from the name of the river Julius Caesar crossed with his army, thereby starting a civil war in Rome._

**(A/N)** Ah… 3 months since my last update? Oh crud, I thought I was going to do better than that… Ugh, I'm so sorry. I hope this chapter somehow makes up for the wait…

But thank you very much for all the reviews! I appreciate and love every single one of them. I don't think there'll be too many more chapters after this, but it's not over yet! I hope the last part of the chapter didn't suck too badly, but darnit they needed to at least kiss for real by now! Haha. Anyway, thank you for reading! I'll try harder to update soon.


	13. Typhoid Mary

**Warnings**: shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, etc...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU

**Pairings**: Seto/Jou; Honda/Otogi;

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas.

-.-.-.-.-.-

**Inescapable You **

Chapter 13: Typhoid Mary

Tuesday morning, Katsuya awoke to the steady, soft thud of a heartbeat against his ear. It was a sound he'd become familiar with over the past few weeks and he had for a while now decided it was something that made him feel safe and protected, even when he'd been mortified to wake up curled against his proclaimed rival. After yesterday though, it seemed to have a more special significance. Eyes still closed, he smiled and snuggled further into the warmth surrounding him, blissfully recalling yesterday afternoon when he and Seto had shared a consensual kiss for the first time – or kisses as it turned out. Even now Katsuya was in awe over it. It had been so amazing, wonderful, different… he didn't even know which word would best describe the experience of Seto's heated lips pressed against his own; their tongues entwining in a dance where, for once, neither of the boys fought for dominance. He never would have imagined that kissing another guy, much less Seto Kaiba, could be so good, so addictive. Every time they'd broken apart, Katsuya had been left breathless and craving for another taste of the blue-eyed young man. For over an hour they'd stood there in the garden kissing and learning each other's taste and touch, forgetting the past years of hostility in favor of their newfound attraction.

_'Well, I kissed a guy and the world didn't end,'_ Katsuya thought with a quiet giggle. Slowly he shifted and raised his head, reluctant to move this early in the morning but too wide awake now to return to sleep, and peered up through sleep-blurred eyes at Seto's face. Somehow he wasn't surprised to see the other already awake. Upon further scrutiny, however, Katsuya had to wonder if Seto had gone to sleep at all last night. The brunette was staring up at the ceiling, apparently lost in thought, his face a little more pale than usual with dark smudges under his half-lidded eyes. Trying to ignore the small twist of alarm in his stomach, Katsuya uncertainly whispered, "G'mornin,' Kaiba."

Seto blinked and his gaze flickered down to meet Katsuya's. The corners of his mouth lifted a little in a barely visible smile, but it was enough to have Katsuya grinning back in relief. He'd been worried for a moment that Seto was regretful of their kiss. "Good morning, Pup. I didn't expect you to be awake so early."

Katsuya rested his chin on Seto's chest with a sniff and a pout. "I don't think you're allowed to call me dog names anymore."

With a playful smirk, Seto tousled the blond's hair before resting his hand on Katsuya's back. "If you say so, Puppy."

Katsuya only stuck out his tongue, not minding that it was a childish reaction. Whatever, at least 'puppy' was a bit better than 'mutt' or 'fleabag.' It sounded more like a pet name, anyway. Hehe, _pet_ name… dog… Katsuya snickered, which earned him a strange look from Seto. The blond sighed and stretched out against the other's side, unwilling to move away from the heat it offered. He'd always enjoyed physical contact with other people, especially after his mother and sister took off, leaving him with a father who rarely wanted anything to do with him unless it was to scold or threaten. When he was younger, Hiroto had once called him touch-starved after learning the word from his parents. It was part of the reason he'd joined in with Hirutani's gang during middle school because he needed that perceived feeling of closeness. Hiroto, of course, had always understood him more than anyone and had never hesitated to instigate some playful roughhousing or even to give him a needed hug. Once Yugi befriended him, and the tight-knit group slowly grew as Anzu, Ryou and the others were accepted, Katsuya's abandonment issues slowly slipped away. He was still a very physical person, however, and at the moment he reveled in his position beside and partially on top of Seto.

"Hn, the alarm will turn on in a few minutes, so we might as well get up and take our showers."

"Mmhm," hummed Katsuya, with no intention whatsoever of going anywhere.

After a few seconds of silence Seto caught on to the blond's plan to remain exactly where he was and nudged him roughly. "Come on. You may nap later at Kaiba Corp while I work, so just cooperate for once."

"Fine, fine," Katsuya grumbled, rolling over onto his back. As they shuffled off the bed he noticed that Seto still appeared slightly haggard, as though he'd been awake most of the night. He didn't bring it up though, knowing Seto would not appreciate his concern and would probably just take it as prying. For all he knew it was something to do with Kaiba Corp that was troubling Seto, but still… what if it did have to do with yesterday? What if Katsuya had done or said something wrong? It wouldn't be the first time it happened.

"What are you frowning about?" Seto asked suddenly.

Katsuya's head jerked up. "Huh?" He realized he must have drifted off for a moment there. "Oh, uh, nothin'." Seto quirked an eyebrow but said nothing else. Katsuya shoved himself up from the bed and unhurriedly followed Seto towards the bathroom, his gaze lowered.

As they neared the door, Katsuya finally raised his tired eyes from the floor and, in shock, stopped short. Seto was gone! He blinked and felt a flutter of panic as he stared at where the taller brunette should be. It was definitely over three feet to the bathroom door so Seto should still be in sight… but he wasn't. "K-Kaiba?" The other's name came out choked and barely audible, so he cleared his throat and repeated almost hysterically, "Kaiba!"

"What?" Seto reappeared in the doorway, his gaze darting around the room before landing on Katsuya. When he saw nothing that could possibly have induced that alarmed tone in Katsuya's voice, he asked, "What are you screaming about? I am right here, idiot."

Blinking in astonishment at the brunette who only glared, Katsuya was surprised at the rush of relief that filled him. The fear of abandonment had been unshakeable after his parents' rather abrupt divorce, although it had lessened over time, but that he had felt it so keenly after Seto's unexpected disappearance meant that he was probably more attached to the brunette than he should be. From personal experience he knew that becoming so attached to someone as unpredictable and manipulative as Kaiba Seto could only lead to pain in the end. Shoving the disquieting thought aside, Katsuya quickly clued Seto in. "Er, I think our, uh, leash grew again." That Katsuya had noticed this first, since Seto was normally the more observant of the two, only furthered his suspicions that the brunette was preoccupied with something else, something troubling.

Instead of appearing surprised or amazed when he finally realized the distance between them had increased for the first time in two weeks, Seto's eyes narrowed in a calculating expression as he kept looking directly at Katsuya's face. "Back up. I want to know how far apart we can go now."

'_Why? Are you that eager to get away from me?'_ thought Katsuya unfairly, but he held his tongue and dutifully took a step back. And then another and another, keeping up eye contact with Seto until he once again felt the tightening sensation around his neck. "Oh… wow. How far would ya say this is?" He blinked in wonder.

Seto peered across the space between them and, with inherent accuracy, replied, "Six feet. It doubled in length."

"Huh, really? Wow. But last time we only got one extra foot and now suddenly it's three? I wonder why – "

"I believe that it is obvious," Seto interrupted with an impatient frown. "Just think about it. The first time the leash extended, we had acknowledged our friendship. And now it happened again after we admitted to our attraction and kissed. I doubt that there is any coincidence in the timing, and it seems to grow in proportion to what has occurred between us."

Katsuya's eyes widened as what Seto was saying hit him, then he gulped and looked away from the other, too embarrassed to meet Seto's eyes any longer. So that was the key to breaking this spell? Every time they became closer to one another on a personal level, they were allowed to physically separate further? Somebody somewhere had a sick sense of humor, that was for sure. And just how close did they have to become for the spell to let them go completely? Maybe Seto had guessed all of this the first time and yesterday's kiss had merely been an experiment to test the theory. That would be just like the cold, calculating CEO, after all. Bitterly, Katsuya scowled at the floor and muttered, "S'why not jus' fuck and get it over with? Bet it'd let us go then."

"I do not believe it works quite like that." Seto's voice was unexpectedly close, startling Katsuya into looking up. He found Seto staring down at him from only inches away. The taller of the two raised his hand to the other's face, cupping his cheek gently, the thumb lightly caressing the smooth skin. A shiver ran up Katsuya's spine at the unusually tender gesture and without thought he found himself leaning into it even while studying Seto's face with slight wariness. One corner of Seto's mouth half rose in a smile but his eyes were as unreadable as always. "It does not matter what we do physically. We could have kissed just for the hell of it from the very beginning and absolutely nothing would have changed as far as the spell is concerned. No, what matters are our emotions, how we truly feel towards one another. Yesterday was real, do not doubt that."

That uncanny ability of Seto's to read his mind was unnerving. "S-so we have to force ourselves to fall in love to become free?" Katsuya managed, trying to ignore just how close Seto was to him and just how the other's hand against his cheek made him almost tremble with pleasure. God he didn't want to lose this feeling, not now, not when he was just beginning to experience it. But he did not want to be made a fool of either. He refused to be humiliated in the end if all of this was only about breaking the spelled leash.

Seto's hand froze and then dropped to Katsuya's shoulder, squeezing it lightly as though in reassurance. "Love cannot be forced. I am sure we will find another way out of this situation, however. So don't worry, nobody will make you fall for a cold-hearted bastard like me." He smirked humorlessly and let his arm fall to his side, taking a step back.

The speechless blond processed Seto's final words with growing concern, noting that the CEO's eyes had completely frozen over. For the first time in weeks, Katsuya was reminded of how things used to be – of when Seto would only look down on him with disdain when he deigned to give Katsuya any notice at all; of when all they could do was argue and mock one another, throwing insults left and right in an effort to see who could hurt the other the most. The thought of going back to that after discovering that there was so much more to Seto than coldness and contempt was almost unbearable. As the brunette turned away from him, Katsuya felt a moment of alarm and he instinctively reached out for Seto. He grabbed on to the other teen's arm and clung to it as though afraid that Seto would try to shake him off. "Kaiba, I… What if I…" 'What if I am already falling for you?' Katsuya choked on the words that were so frighteningly clear in his mind. They felt forbidden, too precarious, and he found he couldn't say them aloud, but at the same time he wanted Seto to know…

At first Seto appeared to take no notice of Katsuya's beseeching tone and only glared passively over the other's shoulder. When Katsuya tried to speak again, however, he finally heaved a sigh and focused his gaze on Katsuya's face, holding up a hand to silence him. "It's okay, Jounouchi. Whatever happens, we will be fine, but do not say anything about it just yet."

Katsuya hesitated, unsure of what Seto had meant by that exactly. Looking into the other's deep blue eyes, noticing the ice had melted a little again, he decided he would trust Seto to know what was best this time; at least until he understood more about the brunette's feelings. In the meantime, to lighten the mood, Katsuya put on a mock pout and playfully complained, "Well, the least ya could do is gimme my mornin' kiss."

Nonplussed, Seto only stared at him unmoving, so Katsuya grinned and reached up to take hold of Seto's shoulders, pulling the taller man down until their lips met. It remained a light, chaste kiss for the moment that it took them to adjust, and then Seto finally unfroze and brought his arms around Katsuya's body, drawing the two of them closer together. Katsuya gasped suddenly as Seto began to vigorously attack his mouth by sucking and nipping at his lips until they felt hot and swollen and left him dizzy with need. Whimpering, he opened his mouth, inviting the other to do the same and, with a quiet moan, Seto forced their mouths together again. Their tongues met and clashed, drawing two simultaneous moans from the teens. Katsuya fought to breathe, clinging to Seto's shoulders in an effort to keep his shaky legs from collapsing under him. There was no doubt in his mind that even if they didn't love each other now or ever, this was one thing he would never want to give up. To hell with what others thought; after making out with Seto Kaiba, no girl would ever be able to compare.

The half-frantic kiss eventually slowed and their faces drew apart until only their noses barely touched. Katsuya, still slightly dazed, was pleased to note that Seto was flushed and breathing as heavily as himself. Licking his lips, Katsuya smiled shakily. "Ah, now that was one hell of a good mornin' kiss."

"Hn. Yes, it was." With a smirk, Seto leaned in and gave him one last peck on the mouth before untangling their limbs and taking a step back. "But we will have to do something about our morning breath before we try it again."

"Jerk." Katsuya laughed and playfully hit him as they entered the bathroom. While they took their showers (taking turns as they had been ever since the leash had grown to three feet because they found it more comfortable and safe than showering together), brushed their teeth, and prepared themselves for school, Katsuya chattered steadily about general subjects while Seto quietly listened, interjecting only a word or two every so often. The blond was happy with this; especially since they exchanged kisses frequently up until the moment they exited the bedroom – for practice, of course. He was less worried about whatever it was that had been, and might still be bothering Seto because he knew that at the very least _this_ was real.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Despite competition from Black Crown and a number of smaller game shops that had sprung up all over the city recently, Kame Game shop was more popular than ever – especially once rumor spread that the number-one ranking world champion of Duel Monsters helped his Grandpa run the store. In the afternoons after classes were over, school-aged kids from all over Domino flocked to the game store hoping to be lucky enough to procure some valuable advice about Duel Monster cards and strategies from the famous Yuugi Mutou. Today was no exception as Katsuya found out, pushing his way through the groups of kids and adults alike. He thought longingly of the days before Yuugi's fame when he could spend most of the day in the quiet shop just chatting with his friends and learning how to become a real duelist. Of course, Kame Game shop was making a lot more profit now and so he knew it was selfish to wish otherwise, but still…

Spotting Yuugi's Grandpa at the till, Katsuya easily shook off his melancholy and rushed over, quickly dodging behind the counter to escape the crowd. Hiroto was at his side, his expression showing that he was just as relieved to have gained a little breathing space, but it took Katsuya a moment to find Seto. A grin instantly appeared on his face as his gaze discovered Seto a little ways behind, caught within a small group of preteens who'd recognized him and were bravely begging for some autographs. Even the infamous Kaiba death-glare did not seem to be working on them.

"Man, they're acting like he's some kind of god or something." Hiroto snorted as he casually leaned against the glass display case, his eyes also on the trapped CEO. "If it weren't for those Blue Eyes White Dragons, you'd have kicked his rich ass a long time ago at dueling."

Katsuya glanced at Hiroto in surprise. "Ya think so? I dunno… I mean, it's a nice thought, but I don't think he'd be the second best next to Yuugi without the skill to go along with those cards. There're a lotta cards with better stats than the Blue Eyes, but it's 'cause he knows how to use 'em and the rest of his deck that he stays on top, right?" This unexpected response was met with bemused silence while the brunette now regarded him with a contemplative frown. Fortunately Katsuya was saved from any questions when Yami stepped out of the back room and caught their attention.

Yuugi's dark half set an armful of packaged Duel Monster decks on the counter and then turned to greet his friends. "My Light mentioned that you would be stopping by. I'm helping Grandpa with the store for a bit during the busy hour since his part-time help called in sick, but you may go on into the house. Yuugi will be more than happy to see you and he has the new cards he promised to hold on to for you. Anzu and Ryou are already… uh…" He trailed off as he caught sight of the commotion involving Seto nearby. He observed the taller duelist with considerable interest before turning sharp, ruby-red eyes to Katsuya. The blond shifted his weight awkwardly under Yami's unwavering stare. "What is Kaiba doing over there?"

"Er… He's bein' held hostage by his fans for autographs?" Katsuya replied unsurely, wondering if something was wrong. Yami did not normally bother with Kaiba these days unless the other started something first.

Yami scowled irritably at Katsuya's ignorance. "What I _meant_ was why is he not at your side? I thought your leash only – "

"Oh, right!" Interrupting as he caught on, Katsuya quickly explained that they were allowed to separate further now; however, he purposely avoided any mention of what had gone on between Seto and himself the day before and their theory about the spell. Just the thought of admitting to his friends that he had kissed Seto, that he may even have feelings that bordered on love for the guy who was once at the top of his hate list, was enough to send a jolt of self-consciousness and dread through his mind. Rationally, he knew that Yuugi, Hiroto and the others would be accepting of it. Hell, Hiroto and Ryuuji had already confessed to the rest of the group about their new relationship and had been warmly congratulated in return. But still… there was a small, niggling seed of doubt deep within him that probably had more to do with his upbringing than anything else. What if he was only setting himself up for a fall he wouldn't be able to recover from? Even worse, what would his sister think? His mom, of course, would be disgusted if she found out, but everything about him seemed to displease her anyway so it wouldn't be anything new. His dad… well, Katsuya would face that when the time came. Shizuka's opinion, however, meant the world to him and he wasn't sure if he could live with himself if she never wanted to see him again because of this.

'_Fags always get what's comin' to 'em. They're unnatural, is what. Hah! Lookit this 'un on the news, Boy. Beatin' to death wit' a lead pipe. Good riddance, eh? If ya ever see one of these freaks, ya better do the same. I'll even give ya my rifle an' ya can blow his fuckin' brains out. Pump him full of lead, huh? That's m'boy!'_

Katsuya shivered and swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. Better not to remember his old man's hateful comments right now. Later… He'd deal with it later. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the bitter memories to the back of his mind and instead focused on Yami who was speaking again.

"It doubled in length?" For some reason, the game king appeared unusually excited by this news. "So does that mean you two…" He hesitated and seemed to reconsider what he'd been about to say. '…you two…' Katsuya frowned at Yami, wondering if the ex-pharaoh knew more about what was going on than he divulged. Before he had time to ponder this, Yami began to say something about being careful around Bakura, but Seto chose that moment to escape from the kids and join Katsuya and the others behind the counter.

Katsuya instantly tuned Yami out in favor of teasing Seto about his slightly disheveled and very annoyed appearance. The tall brunette frowned crossly and said with a low growl, "Just get your damn cards so we can get the hell away from here. Damn wannabe-duelists; they are all fools."

"Fools who pay a great deal of money for your technology and dueling competitions." The blond smirked before wisely changing the subject as the other's icy blue eyes narrowed further. "Well, come on then! See ya, Yami. Don't forget to tell Gramps I said 'hi'; he looks too busy to bother right now."

"Uh, right. But Jounouchi, maybe do not tell Ba– "

"By the way, Yami," Hiroto casually spoke up, "It's been two weeks, is Yuugi still avoiding you?"

Yami froze, his entire face blooming bright red as he gaped at the smirking trio. "Y-you… you know about…?"

Hiroto and Katsuya began to snicker, which turned into full-blown laughter at the mortified expression on the other's face. "Of course! You traumatized the poor kid after all!"

"Geeze, Yami, on his kitchen counter? Ya were just askin' to be caught!" Katsuya sniggered. "Guess your obsession with leather shoulda been our first clue that you're into the kinky stuff."

"Sh-shut up! It was… I didn't… I do _not_ have to explain myself to the likes of _you_!" The embarrassed spirit sputtered before he stiffly turned and stalked away from his laughing friends.

"It's not everyday you can make a pharaoh lose his cool!" Hiroto cheered, high-fiving Katsuya.

"Fuckin'-A! Serves him right for scarring my little buddy for life."

"If you imbeciles are finished with your childish games, may I suggest that we move on before this day is entirely wasted," Seto demanded with a grumpy look, starting for the door that led into the Mutou's cozy home. Katsuya and Hiroto simultaneously rolled their eyes at his back and exchanged amused grins while they unhurriedly followed.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Jounouchi senior was far from happy at the moment as he glared sullenly into the empty refrigerator before him. There was nothing in there but a bit of moldy tuna and a quarter-full carton of milk that had been in there for god knows how long. Not even a single can of beer. Slamming the fridge door shut, he turned and opened his mouth to bellow for the one who was responsible for buying the groceries only to recall that his son wasn't there and had been absent for weeks now. He shouted anyway, trying to release some of his pent up frustration. "K'suya! Where th'fuck are ya, ya no-good brat, goddammit!"

Heavy silence fell once his echo faded away and he shivered slightly. He hated the silence; it meant he was alone and that was something he detested even more. They had all left him. Left him to rot. First that bitch who'd burdened him with those lazy, whiny children, and then his own son – gone. Hah, they wouldn't last long without him anyway, and to hell with them if they thought they could. Maybe the bitch wouldn't come crawling back to him – no, she was to stupid to realize that he was the best she was going to get, the only man who would put up with a cow like her – but Katsuya would return. If he knew what was good for him at least. Then again, the boy had less brains than his mother. Ugly, dumb kid probably wouldn't get it until it was too late.

The fuming man shuffled out of the kitchen and down the short hallway to a door at the end. He opened it and stepped into the small, messy room that belonged to Katsuya. A quick glance around confirmed that the boy was still missing and Jounouchi senior unsteadily walked over to the closet where he shoved aside some stray clothes until he was able to reach the very back wall. After a quick feel around his fingers came in contact with what he sought and he pulled the object out. Backing out into the light, he chuckled as he peered into the glass jar that held Katsuya's 'secret' stash of emergency money. If the boy was stupid enough to leave it in such an obvious spot, he deserved to lose it. Jounouchi senior had of course known its location for some time now and had unremorsefully dipped into it every now and then, although not enough for his son to catch on. Now, however, he took the entire jar and made his way back out of the room. Katsuya owed him this for running away, for leaving him to waste away.

Half an hour later found the middle-aged man in his favorite bar and happily nursing a glass of beer. He would be able to drink most of the night away with the newly acquired funds. Hunched over the table, he finished one glass after another without a single thought towards the empty fridge and cupboards at home. Some while into the evening another man joined him. Blearily, Jounouchi senior looked at the stranger, vaguely noting the slightly younger features overshadowed by weariness. It wasn't long before they began to make small talk, and a few muttered greetings turned into a real conversation despite their increasingly drunken states. At some point the topic of their families were brought up and Jounouchi was more than eager to rant about his disobedient, useless son.

"… an' then the brat runs off wit' that fuckin' rich-kid. Prob'ly takin' it up the ass right now for a few measly bucks… I'll fuckin' kill him if he is. Li'l shithead thinks he can get away wit'…"

"Wait, wait," the other man interrupted, waving his beer around to gain Jounouchi's attention. "Whassat about a rich-kid?"

"Yanno, that boy who's on th'news all the fuckin' time. Somethin' t'do with that stupid card-thing the kids like. Faggot thinks he's king jus' 'cause – "

"Kaiba Seto?"

"Huh? Uh… 'think so…" Jounouchi frowned groggily at the guy across from him. Who cared what the Kaiwhatever-kid's name was; the fact that he'd stolen Katsuya and had threatened Jounouchi senior was much more important. If he ever saw that asshole again there'd be hell to pay, that was for sure. Presently, his companion had perked up and appeared excited by what he was hearing, although Jounouchi couldn't understand why that would be. Shrugging it off, he shot back the whiskey he'd recently ordered and continued to curse and rant about the brat he'd fathered.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Nasaki Sen stumbled out of the bar around three in the morning feeling better than he'd felt in a long time. Who would have thought, just when he was in jeopardy of losing his job, he would find the story he so desperately needed at a rundown bar from a worthless, drunken old man. Already he could picture the front-page headline that would earn him more money than he'd seen all year. Talk about hitting paydirt. Kaiba Seto was always big news, being the youngest and richest CEO in the country and running a business centered on the world's most popular card game. People all over, the young and the old, loved to read about him and, as with any celebrity, scandals were always favored over the usual day-to-day news.

Cheerfully, Nasaki hailed a taxi and used the time in the backseat to plan his next move. While mere rumors were usually enough to stir the interest of the public, he felt that this scandal required more solid proof before it was printed, to increase its credibility and therefore sell even more. A photo was needed at the very least. The evidence shouldn't be hard to come by since, according to that old man, Kaiba Seto and his secret boy-toy were never far apart.

Yes, by the end of the week, hopefully along with a promotion and raise, Masaki would definitely be the hero of his department at the Domino Daily.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"You and _Kaiba_! What the fuck!"

Seto stood frozen by the wall as he watched the shouting match in the Mutou's family room.

"It's not what you're thinkin', Hond'! I…"

"Like hell it isn't! Bakura said – "

"So ya gonna believe him over me!"

On the outside his expression was as impassive as ever, but his thoughts were frantically trying to process just how the situation got out of control so fast. One minute everything was fine and nobody had a clue what was going on between him and Katsuya, and then the next thing they knew Yami Bakura had opened his big mouth the moment he realized the leash linking Seto and Katsuya together had lengthened so much.

"You never even _told_ me you were gay!"

"I'm _not_, dammit! And anyway, ya can screw around with Otogi, but ya can't stand the thought of – "

"That's not it, Jou! This is _Kaiba_ we're talking about. How can you possibly even like _Moneybags_ in that…"

Seto tensed, his jaw clenching in an effort not to lash out at the one badmouthing him as though he were not standing right there in the same room listening to every word. The only reason he hadn't stepped in yet was that he felt Katsuya would not appreciate the 'help' when it was more the blond's fight than his. It had been a long while since he'd seen Katsuya this angry and Seto felt a hidden sense of satisfaction over the way Katsuya defended him to Hiroto. Unfortunately he could see that the fight was having its toll on the blond who was probably scared to death of losing Hiroto's friendship. Of course, judging from what Seto knew of those two, it was more likely that, once he got over the shock and calmed down, Hiroto would accept Katsuya's decisions completely and once again take over the roll of the overprotective 'brother.'

"…What lies has he been telling you, Jou? He's put you down for as long as I can remember so what makes you think he's suddenly changed? How can you believe that he's not just using you, huh!"

"No, th-that's… It's different now! You don't understand. People _can_ change, yanno!"

Already on edge, Seto took a step towards the arguing pair with a stinging comment ready on his tongue, but a soft tug on the sleeve of his coat stopped him. At his elbow, Yuugi looked up at him with wide, concerned eyes. "I know it's difficult, but please don't interfere, Kaiba-kun. It'll be better if you don't. They'll fight it out like they always do and then they'll completely forgive each other. It's just the way it works between them."

He thought about ignoring Yuugi's plea and going over there to crack the two idiots' heads together, or storming out all together, dragging Katsuya behind. Instead, Seto irritably jerked his arm from Yuugi's grasp and leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Fine. Let them kill each other, for all he cared. Indifferently closing his eyes, the brunette shut out the noise of the argument and instead brooded over the tight feeling of anxiety he'd been trying hard to suppress ever since waking up that morning. No… ever since yesterday afternoon when he'd come to a realization that seriously jeopardized everything he'd believed in up until now.

_'Katsuya's lips melting against his own… Their breaths mingling, becoming one as they draw closer together. His touch, his taste… Oh gods, so many new sensations… so much, too much… And yet not enough…'_

_'Love and Hate, the two single most dangerous emotions. They are too extreme and they will cloud your mind, confuse your judgment. Block these evils from yourself, Seto. If I ever detect even a single lapse of your control then I will know that you are not worthy to take over for me and I will not hesitate to toss you back into the streets…'_

_'I know, Gozaburo, I know better than to let anything like that distract me from the ultimate goal…'_

Confusion and doubt, two things he was not used to feeling, whirled through his thoughts and threatened to engulf him as he replayed both the memories of Gozaburo's instruction and of the addictive kisses he'd shared with Katsuya. His feelings had definitely changed quite a lot already, but he was having a difficult time accepting this thing that went against all that he'd been taught. And that overwhelming sensation of drowning was returning…

Suddenly the thought he'd had yesterday hit him hard.

_'I love you.'_

And all at once it became so much more difficult to bear.

_'I can't. I cannot do this. It will break me.'_

It was impossible, was it not? He could never, should never, let something as trivial as love distract him from all that he had thus far built for Mokuba and himself. He had invested too much into creating a life for him and his brother for it all to fall to pieces now. Having been bound to Katsuya this long, having been taken in by the third-rate duelist's charms had blinded him to the fact that he was becoming exactly what he had always despised… a weak-minded, love-sick fool. It made him feel ill just thinking about it. Weakness… He shivered and hated himself for it.

_'A Kaiba cannot be weak. Will you be the Kaiba leading all of humankind, or will you be the weak fool who must forsake pride and rely on others to drag them through life?'_

No. He was a Kaiba first, no matter how much he hated it. He was not weak and he would never rely on another person again – those were the vows he had made a long time ago as he stared coolly down at Gozaburo's bloody remains on the pavement outside the Kaiba Corp. office building. There was no way he could now continue in the direction his deceitful heart seemed to be trying to lead him. The consequences were just too great. First, however, he needed to separate from Katsuya completely and thus far he knew of only one way to do so.

'_Can I…? Can I hurt him like that? Am I really that cruel?'_

'_Can you afford not to? A Kaiba never hesitates, never falters, and certainly never cares whether or not a mutt or two who are in the way of his goals get trampled in the process.'_

'_Katsuya…'_

Seto shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the conflicting thoughts. Too much… too much at once. He would definitely break if this kept up.

"Kaiba-kun? Are you okay?" A soft, questioning voice snapped him back to reality.

Without opening his eyes, he replied to Yuugi coldly, "Of course I am."

There was a hesitant pause, and then, "Ah, I see. Sorry… but, you were rubbing your chest. I thought maybe you were hurting."

Seto tensed further upon the realization that his left hand really was pressing up against his chest. Over his heart… No. Instantly he snatched his hand away and lowered his arm to his side, fists clenched. Maybe he really was too weak, but it was Katsuya's fault. He'd never felt this way until Katsuya entered his life. Seto had to get away from the blond if there was to be any hope of returning his life to normal.

Decision made, he opened his eyes and glared grimly across to where Katsuya and Hiroto were now resolving their fight with a 'manly' hug. If there was still a tearing pain in Seto's heart at what must come, he did not acknowledge it.

_'I refuse to break. I refuse to be weak. I will never destroy myself and my brother's life for the likes of Jounouchi Katsuya.'_

-.-.-.-.-.-

To Be Continued…

_**Typhoid Mary**: A person likely to cause a disaster; from Mary Mallen, an Irish woman in the United States who was discovered to be a carrier of typhoid fever.  
_  
(A/N) Whew, managed to get this posted before going on my next vacation (this summer has been way too busy haha ) Again, thank you very much for the reviews for the previous chapter! I love the encouragement, and I'm glad you all enjoy the small things too like the chapter titles hehe. As for including a lemon… it'll probably be a light one for ffnet because of the rules (I really don't want this deleted again…). Those of you who are also a part of the Dragon's Lair will most likely get the fuller version if I work up the nerve lol. If I do leave out the lemon, and people really want it, suggest a good alternate site for me to post after the fic is complete (besides adultfanfiction).

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em!


	14. Meeting One's Waterloo

**Warnings**: shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, etc...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU

**Pairings**: Seto/Jou; Honda/Otogi;

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas.

-.-.-.-.-.-

**Inescapable You **

Chapter 14: Meeting One's Waterloo

Clouds race with a dream-like quality across a blood red sky. Dark pyramids of incredible heights, thrown into relief by the setting sun send shadows creeping across the dry, windswept land. The stench of death is in the air, and wails and moans of those who survived rise up out of a ruined city.

'Don't you leave me, don't you dare. I will not let you…" Blue eyes, like twin sapphire gems, are clouded with grief.

'You always were searching for a way to control death, my love.' That beloved teasing grin, this time not quite so bright as it is dampened with pain and sorrow. 'I… I'm sorry.'

'No, I beg you…'

'Please don't forget about me…'

'I could never!'

'…But promise me you will not mourn for long. You are Pharaoh now, you must rebuild the city and…' A twinge of fear as death's cold fingers tighten, tugging insistently at his soul, making it more difficult to draw breath. Blood, so much blood. 'I… I don't want to leave you… I'm frightened. I love you so much.'

Heart aching with the knowledge that this life would be empty and cold from now on. 'And I you. Just remember… it will not be forever, I swear to it you; our souls will find one another again. I will continue this life for as long as I am able, and then I will come find you.'

'I'll be waiting. Oh Seth… don't… cry…'

'Jono, my heart's fire…'

One last passion-filled kiss. Unseeing golden eyes and cold, lifeless skin. A wordless cry of anguish and loss that rises and rises and goes on for eternity.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"You are unusually quiet this morning."

"Hm?" Katsuya pulled his gaze from the scenery speeding past the limousine and looked beside him to where his blue-eyed companion sat. It took a moment for the comment and implied question to sink in. "Oh. Uh, I was just thinking 'bout something." He fidgeted a little when Seto merely raised an eyebrow. The ever-practical brunette would probably laugh in his face if Katsuya admitted to what had him so glum this morning. Katsuya couldn't help it though; he had been feeling depressed after since he'd woken up with tears sliding down his cheeks from a dream that was still so painfully vivid in his mind. It had felt so real that even now it made his heart hurt to think of it. Feeling chilled by memories of the dream, the blond slid a bit closer to Seto and finally said, "Hey, er… D'ya believe in past lives at all?" Of course he was pretty certain he knew the answer already, but it never hurt to ask after all.

"If you are referring to all that Priest and Ancient Egypt garbage that Yugi never shuts up about, then no. Even if it was true, it could not affect the present and therefore is of no concern to me," replied Seto coolly, matter-of-fact as always. Katsuya rolled his eyes and went back to staring out the window. No use talking about it with Seto, who never seemed to have an ounce of imagination anyway. It became apparent, however, that the CEO had been waiting for an explanation because he eventually nudged Katsuya and impatiently asked, "Why?"

"Eh, was nothin'. Just a bad dream," Katsuya mumbled with a dismissive shrug. If his eyes hadn't strayed back to Seto's profile at that moment, he would have missed the sudden tense surprise in the other's expression. That was strange. Curiosity getting the better of him, Katsuya twisted in his seat to face Seto more fully. "What's up? Don't tell me you had one too?"

To his shock, Seto turned on him with a chilly, forbidding scowl. "I do not know what you are speaking of, mutt, but keep your foolish ideas to yourself." He glared for a second longer and then turned his face away from the blond's startled, wide eyes.

Katsuya gaped, then blinked and shook his head. What the hell? 'Mutt'? That bastard! "Yeah? Well fuck you too, ya prick! If ya really still think of me that way, why don't ya just fuckin' come out an' say it?! Go to hell." Angrily he shoved himself close to the door in order to put as much space as possible between the two of them. He didn't want to admit it, but it hurt to know those cruel words could still roll so easily off of Seto's tongue. He never used to be this sensitive around Seto; things had changed so much lately that he often found himself forgetting how it used to be between them, but apparently _Kaiba_ had no trouble revisiting the past.

A tense silence prevailed for another few minutes during which Katsuya fumed and glared out the tinted window. When they were about fifteen minutes from their destination however, an arm slipped around his shoulders and he found himself pulled roughly against Seto's side and held there tightly. "Ack! What the… Let go!" He was still mad at Seto, dammit!

Obviously not in the mood to follow orders, not that he ever was, Seto took hold of the flailing boy's chin with his free hand and forced their eyes to meet. Unfortunately, Katsuya found he could not read anything in the wintry-blue eyes staring back at him, except that they were eerily intense. When Seto spoke again his tone was somewhat softer. "It slipped out unintentionally, so quit sulking. I do not still think of you in that way."

What was _that_ supposed to be – an apology? Katsuya snorted and tried to squirm away from the other's hold. If Seto thought he could get away with such things _that_ easily… "Yeah right, asshole! Leggo! I ain't gonna listen to your fucked up… Mmph!" Oh. Not good. Katsuya tried to refuse, not wanting to give in to such an underhanded tactic, but it came out weak and muffled at best. After a few disorienting seconds he found himself on Seto's lap being thoroughly ravished and grudgingly enjoying every bit of it. Another minute and he was kissing back just as enthusiastically. 'Definitely getting used to this,' he thought with a delighted shiver, sliding his arms over Seto's shoulders as the other man pulled their bodies closer together. Katsuya moaned in approval, loving the heat between them, relishing every touch. Happily lost in it all, he remained unaware of the hand gliding up his side under his shirt, but when the searching fingers reached his chest and caressed his sensitive nipple, Katsuya jumped in shock at the electrifying jolt it sent through him.

"Ah! Nn… Kaib', no… I…" Katsuya frantically tried to squirm away, suddenly uncomfortable with what they were doing. He tore his mouth away from Seto's and breathlessly continued to protest. "S-stop! What're you… I d-don't want… Ah…" Seto's mouth had immediately attached to his neck and it was all Katsuya could do not to sink back into the other's warmth and lose himself to the desire that still flared through him. Oh god, Seto was good at this. With a whimper, he dropped his head back, exposing more of his neck to Seto's tongue and teeth as the brunette nibbled and sucked at the skin in a way that left Katsuya dizzy with need. And then abruptly the spell was broken with the realization that he could feel Seto's arousal pressed against his thigh. With his panic creating the strength he needed, Katsuya shoved himself away completely, landing on the floor of the limo with a painful thump. "Ow, dammit…"

Panting for air, Katsuya could only stare numbly up at Seto. The brunette merely smirked, appearing hardly ruffled except for slightly swollen lips and the light flush across his cheeks. Sexy as hell, was the thought that came unbidden to Katsuya's mind. Then he silently cursed himself for it. Finding his tongue finally, the blond glared and snapped, "I told ya ta fuckin' stop! That was… jus'… Jus' disgusting!" Except it hadn't been, which was what distressed Katsuya the most. He'd been… he'd responded to Seto's touch and… 'Oh shit' Katsuya quickly brought his knees together and up under his chin, wrapping his arms around them, to provide both a protective barrier for his emotions and a way to hide his still evident arousal. He knew his face was red from embarrassment and shame, and he glared balefully at the CEO in front of him.

"Hn. You sounded as though you rather enjoyed it." Seto raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening while he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You… you… shaddup!" He didn't know _what_ to say to that. It was the truth after all, that he'd enjoyed it. His body sure had, at the very least. But Seto did not have to look so damn smug about it! Besides, it was one thing to kiss another guy, but something else entirely to go any further than that, right?

'What do _you_ want?'

'I don't know, I don't know, I don't know…'

Overwhelmed with confusion, Katsuya curled up further and rested his forehead on his knees to hide his face. It wasn't fair that Seto was so confident about what they were doing. Didn't the other teen have any uncertainties about it whatsoever? Apparently not, since he'd been so forward just a few moments ago. So maybe that meant Katsuya was just being stupid by pulling away. But all the same, he could not help the sick feeling of anxiety that filled the pit of his stomach at the thought of a true relationship with a man, much less a man like Kaiba Seto. He still wasn't sure if it were something he would be able to handle.

Katsuya tensed as Seto sighed suddenly. "Jounouchi." There came the sound of the other man shifting in his seat, and then Katsuya felt Seto's hand rest lightly on his head. Katsuya did not move, however, not even to shift away from the contact. He _liked_ it when Seto touched him like this and no amount of denial could make him feel otherwise. He almost craved it at times. Even in this situation when he was supposed to be upset with the brunette, he pathetically found himself relaxing ever so slightly as Seto's fingers threaded through his hair. "Your friends know and they are still your friends, so what are you afraid of?"

'Everything else.' Katsuya squeezed his eyes shut and remained silent. It was true that his friends had been more accepting than he'd ever dreamed and it made him feel warm inside to know that they'd stick by him even after finding out Katsuya's secret from Bakura, of all people. Fortunately, Hiroto's initial concern had not been all that unexpected and Katsuya had been able to deal with it accordingly for the most part. After everything they'd gone through in the past, Hiroto had every right to be protective. It had been a relief, though, when his best friend finally relented and acknowledged that Katsuya could take care of himself when it came to Seto. Yuugi had only smiled and said that as long as Katsuya was happy, he was too. All in all, it hadn't gone nearly as bad as he'd always imagined it would. But still some doubt remained, especially in regards to what his sister would think.

"Sirs, we have arrived."

Katsuya started at the new voice and his head shot up as he realized the car was stopped and the chauffeur had opened their door. Without meeting Seto's gaze, the blond slowly maneuvered himself off the floor to stand outside on the pavement in the parking lot of Kaiba Corp. When Seto was out as well, Katsuya started to walk but the brunette halted him with a hand on his arm. "Are you okay?"

'Oh yeah, sure. _Now_ he asks.' At first he considered ignoring Seto but then realized how childish that would be. Not that he was averse to acting childish on occasion, but he was stuck with the guy, after all, so it would solve nothing in the long run. "I'll be fine." Katsuya finally sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair nervously as he turned around to face the other man. "It was just… unexpected, I guess. I'm jus' not used to… ya know, anything more…" He trailed off and gestured helplessly.

Where Katsuya had been anticipating mockery, Seto only smiled at the reluctant admission. Slowly the taller teen closed the short distance between them. "Yes, I understand. But you should know that you have nothing to be frightened of. Trust me, alright?"

He wanted to trust him of course, but there was still something in Seto's eyes that made Katsuya wary of giving in too easily. At first glance the other's gaze seemed sincere – maybe too sincere considering how guarded he normally was – but then, deeper within the blue there were shadows lurking there that Katsuya did not like.

"_Can_ I trust you?" Katsuya asked seriously.

Seto appeared slightly taken aback by the direct question and it took him a moment to answer. "Of course you can."

"Really?" The blond questioned skeptically. Experience had taught him how to read when a person was hiding something from him, and although it was almost impossible to discern the stoic CEO's thoughts from his face most of the time there was still a worrying feeling that nagged Katsuya as he watched Seto. Everybody had _something_ to hide, and Kaiba Seto was no exception.

"Have I given you any reason not to ever since this whole mess began?"

That was a good point. Their relationship had changed a lot over the weeks they had been forced to endure together and Katsuya had grown to see Seto in a completely new light. "No… 'Guess not." He sighed reluctantly and looked away from Seto's piercing gaze. He did like Seto, that much he could admit, and the other seemed to like him as well. Would it be so bad to trust him? Maybe he could… a little bit anyway. There were only three people in the world he had ever dared to place his full trust in, and those were Shizuka, Hiroto and Yuugi. With those three, at least, he could be sure his heart would not intentionally be crushed.

They stood in the parking lot somewhat awkwardly after that until Seto finally turned to the building and continued towards it. Katsuya tagged along behind, but perked up when the brunette announced over his shoulder, "I have something for you in my office."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"You will see."

A surprise? Much of the tension finally left his body as Katsuya distracted himself by trying to silently guess what Seto could possibly have for him. They were together every moment of the day, so it must have been extra difficult to hide anything from him. Katsuya's anticipation only grew as he suffered the agonizingly long trek through the building, past the front desk, and up the elevator to the floor on which Seto's office was situated. When they did finally reach it, Katsuya immediately bounced over to the large leather chair behind the desk and threw himself into it. Seto shot him a small glare, as it was his chair, but Katsuya only grinned disarmingly and spun around a few times while he waited for the other man to come over. He was thankful for the diversion that kept them from discussing what had happened in the car and he hoped Seto wouldn't bring it up for a while yet. A little more time to sort out his feelings on that matter was all Katsuya really wished for at the moment.

"Here." A golden colored envelope was suddenly thrust under the blond's nose.

Eagerly, Katsuya snatched it from Seto's hand and quizzically examined it. It had his name written neatly across the back in black, flowing calligraphy. "Uh, what's this?"

"Idiot. Open it and find out for yourself."

"Oh, right. Okay." For once shrugging off the insult, Katsuya leaned back in his seat and gingerly lifted the unsealed flap of the envelope. Inside there was a folded piece of fancy stationary, which he pulled out and studied with a curious frown. Then he blinked and read it again more carefully. "Eh? 'Says I'm invited to… the Kaiba Corp Annual Ball and Banquet? What the hell does that mean?"

This time Seto rolled his eyes in irritation. "It means that I must attend the event as I am the host and for obvious reasons you will have to accompany me. Kaiba Corp throws one every year as a way to increase PR, reinforce partnerships, and so on and so forth."

"Oh… But why the official invite? It's not like I can reject it, right?" Puzzled by this strange formality, Katsuya frowned at the letter in his hands. He did not understand why Seto had gone out of his way to create a personal invitation for Katsuya when the CEO could have just more easily told him outright that they were going to this party thing, since Katsuya couldn't really argue against it anyway.

"Ah, that…" Seto sighed and surprisingly relaxed, leaning back against the edge of the desk with something close to a smile on his face. "I decided that you might appreciate it more, even if there is no real choice in the matter. The illusion is better than nothing, I hope."

Startled, Katsuya blinked uncertainly at the towering brunette. This invitation was given to him because Seto wanted to give him a choice? He couldn't help the brilliant grin that formed at the warm rush of pleasure and gratitude he felt over Seto's thoughtful gesture. "Really? You really thought about me? I… That's…" A pressure in his chest that he hadn't even realized still existed suddenly eased, and his earlier anger and fear slipped away while he considered the gift Seto had given him. That Seto had taken Katsuya's feelings into account, even with something so minor, showed that the brunette really was sincere. Perhaps Katsuya had overreacted earlier in the car.

Catching the other's blue-eyed gaze, Katsuya reached out and tugged Seto closer to him. Seto was caught off balance at first, but managed to catch himself with his hands on the chair arms, leaning over Katsuya as the blond wrapped his arms around Seto's neck. "Thanks, Kaiba. It means a lot to me." His grin turned into a pleased smile when Seto relaxed after a tense pause. Nuzzling his face against the other's smooth, pale neck, Katsuya hung on a while longer before reluctantly pulling away. He remained close, however, with his forearms still over Seto's broad shoulders, and studied his face.

With a faintly inquisitive stare, Seto smirked gently at the other's reaction. He leaned forward slightly and pressed a kiss to Katsuya's forehead, surprising the blond once again. "You accept, then?"

"Yeah!" He grinned enthusiastically.

"Good. Then it's a date."

Katsuya paused, thought about it for a second, then laughed and agreed, "You bet!" A real date with Kaiba Seto! He wondered what the world would think about _that_… and then immediately decided it would be best not to know. "Er… we're gonna keep it quiet an' all at the party, though, right?"

"Of course. To everyone else you will appear as young businessman that I have taken upon myself to show around." The CEO smirked, probably pleased with the thought of deceiving all those people.

"'Kay, sounds like a plan," said Katsuya. "Oh, will there be food?"

Shaking his head in wry amusement, Seto slipped away from Katsuya's arms and straightened before informing him that yes, there would be food. "More than even you can possibly eat in one night. It is a banquet, after all."

"Ha, we'll just see about that." The blond winked, and then slid off the chair to let Seto finish up the morning work before they headed off for school.

As he watched the other concentrate on the computer, Katsuya contemplated their upcoming 'date'. It sent a little thrill up his spine just thinking about it, and surprisingly enough he did not feel even slightly concerned. Maybe it was because it seemed like an exciting new experience, or that Seto must actually be serious about building a relationship with Katsuya, or maybe it was just that there would be enough people around at the party to prevent Seto from trying anything on Katsuya that he wasn't comfortable with. Whatever it was, Katsuya found himself looking forward to the evening it was being held on, only a few days from now. At the very least, it would distract him from the depressing dreams he'd been having lately.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Seth, no!" Yami shot up in bed, his eyes wildly searching the room until he recognized it to be his own in modern times. Not the desert, then. With the palm of one hand he wiped the sweat from his brow and slowly managed to bring his heartbeat back under control. The bedroom was still dark and a glance at the digital clock on the bedside table showed him that dawn was still a couple of hours away. "Bad dream…" He whispered to himself, wearily pushing his body up until he could slide his feet onto the carpeted floor. "Perhaps a warning?"

Still dwelling on it, he stood up and trudged across the room to the door and made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. There he set about putting a kettle of water on to boil and preparing a pot of tea to settle his nerves. As he waited, he leaned back against the counter and pondered his dream. Unfortunately he could not recall much of it – only some flashes of blurred colors, sounds, heat and voices all jumbled together so that it was difficult to make sense of it. Shadowed blue eyes… Seth, of course, but also Seto? Hard to be sure. However, he did remember quite vividly the overlaying air of sorrow and defeat, so thick it had almost been suffocating. Sometimes he had vague dreams of the past all those millennia ago, which often had the same feeling… but this seemed different somehow. The deep sense of loss in this dream had for once not been his own but came from elsewhere, as if it were merely washing over him in great, crashing waves.

Sighing deeply, Yami poured the now ready tea and wandered over to the small table in the corner. He pulled out a chair there and sat down, cradling the hot mug between his hands. If the emotions in that dream had not been his, then to whom did they belong? That was the real question. It had to be someone with a strong connection to the ancient Seth and to the present-day Seto because he felt they had definitely been involved in his dream. That thought stirred a faint memory within his mind and he frowned in concentration as the words of Mahado, a trusted and powerful Priest in his palace so long ago, returned to him.

----

'My Pharaoh, who is that boy?'

Startled from his thoughts by the sharp inquiry, the young pharaoh glances over at the priest questioningly. 'Boy? Where?' They are strolling casually through the gardens behind the palace, enjoying the bright morning and the fresh, cool breeze among the abundant trees and vibrant flowers. Thus far, their conversation has focused on an upcoming meeting with his advisors and so this abrupt diversion comes as a surprise.

Mahado points ahead at a clearing where a stone fountain and a few benches are placed. 'The young one sitting alongside the High Priest.'

'What? With my cousin?' Shocked, Atem looks and spots the pair on a bench to the left. An attractive boy with long, thick hair the striking color of burnished gold is laughing joyfully while Atem's High Priest, someone who is not known for socializing a great deal out of his own free will, smiles gently down at the other in amusement. It is a strange scene, not only because Seth actually appears at ease, which in itself is extremely rare these days, but also because that golden-haired boy is… 'One of mine. He was purchased for me from some foreigners fairly recently, as I recall. I've yet to take him to my bed.' And seeing his cousin's pleased smile, he knows he will not take the slave at all now. Instead he thinks that he might present the beautiful slave to Seth as a gift.

'I see.'

Atem raises a curious eyebrow at the strange tone in the other's voice. 'What is it?'

Mahado stares a moment longer at the couple in the clearing, and then turns to the pharaoh. When he speaks finally, his words only puzzle Atem further. 'It appears High Priest Seth has been blessed by the gods. He has met the one meant for him.'

'One? The one what?'

'You cannot see it, but they are connected. Their souls recognize and yearn for each other so intensely that they cannot help but be drawn together.'

Atem frowns at this and peers more closely at the slave and Seth. How can they possibly be connected? They have nothing in common and only met less than three days ago. 'How do you know this?'

'There is a red thread running from the High Priest's heart to the boy's. It means they are bound to each other, perhaps from a previous life or maybe from before their souls even entered a mortal body. Either way, it is good that they have found one another again.'

'Ah, I see.' And in a way he does. He can observe with his own eyes that there is something terribly precious between the two they are spying on, if only by the way Seth's face practically glows with light that Atem has never seen before. Then a sudden thought strikes him. 'Do I have one of those threads as well?'

Mahado peers at him for a moment before smiling softly, with a hint of sadness. 'Yes, Pharaoh, there is one tied to your heart as well. It reaches for the sky and disappears beyond the clouds.'

'Oh. Well, what does that mean?'

'It will be an unimaginably long time before you find the one meant for you, if ever, for they have yet to be born to this world.'

'One meant for me…' Atem smiles at this as they turn back on the path and walk towards the Palace. One day I hope I will meet that person.

----

Taking a sip of his drink, Yami sighed again and wondered if that memory had been real or only a dream. If it was a memory, then Seto and Katsuya truly were meant for one another. Of course, just because they were soul mates did not mean that everything would end with them happily together. Most people never even received the opportunity to meet their soul mate, and the few that did could not always accept it. Seto and Katsuya had been a prime example of a rejected bond with the way they fought each other and their feelings at every meeting until they came to despise one another instead. Only the recent turn of events changed things – that prank that ended up attaching them together with a magical leash. Perhaps their soul bond would eventually be repaired, giving them another chance at a new life together.

However, Yami frowned down at his mug as he recalled his most recent dream. The situation may be getting ready to take a turn for the worst if the frighteningly desolate emotions he received in it held any truth for the future. If that happened, Yami prayed that Seto and Katsuya's new, fragile relationship would be able to stand fast.

"Yami? What're you doing up?"

He turned at the sound of his name and found Yuugi slumped tiredly against the doorframe, stifling a yawn. Yami couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight. Then the smile dimmed as he remembered that Yuugi had only began speaking to him again yesterday evening. His own soul mate, the other half of his soul even, the one he'd finally been fortunate enough to meet after many millennia of being locked away in the dark, lonely puzzle. The 'one meant for him' that he'd always dreamed for as a young Pharaoh. And then, because he was not always as courageous as he seemed, he'd almost blown it by fooling around with the crazy, but irresistibly sexy pair, Bakura and Malik.

"I could not sleep, is all," he reassured Yuugi, not wishing to upset him with a bad dream that may or may not be significant. "I prepared a pot of tea if you wish to join me."

"Mm, 'kay." The shorter boy smiled sleepily and stumbled over to the pot keeping warm on the stove.

Yami watched him with hidden feelings of pride and longing. Ironically, soul mates almost always had the most difficulty in accepting the bond between them. The emotions involved were just too overwhelming and too frightening in all their raw intensity. The rare few who persevered and accepted each other and their bond fully were possibly the strongest of all mortals. Yami had always considered his cherished friend, Katsuya, and his cousin, Seto, two of the strongest people he had ever known, and he desperately hoped that they proved him right in the future.

'Do not give up, my friends. If anyone can make it in the end, it's you two.'

-.-.-.-.-.-

Mokuba kicked idly at the spotless white floor and tried his best not to yawn while he waited for Katsuya to exit the changing room in yet another suit that had been chosen as a possibility for tomorrow night. He, Seto and Katsuya were currently in the store from which Seto almost always purchased his tailored suits from, which meant that it was extremely classy and super expensive – only the best for the Kaibas. Unfortunately, classy and expensive were two things that did not fit Jounouchi Katsuya, whose idea of dressing up was to throw on something without dirt or rips and run a brush once through his unruly mop of hair. Every time the blond came out in one of the suits, he looked much too uncomfortable and embarrassed, which made him appear to be exactly what he was – an out of place former street punk. With a small sigh, Mokuba turned his head to the side to stare up at Seto. His brother was looking off to the side, his expression frozen over in such a way that it brought a small flutter of apprehension to Mokuba's stomach. For the past several hours, ever since Mokuba had arrived home from school, he'd noticed that Seto seemed to be unusually melancholy. Not just anyone would be able to spot it, of course, but Mokuba had always been able to determine Seto's moods and right now he did not like the vibes the tall brunette was subtly giving off.

The changing room curtain was finally flung aside and a slightly flushed face poked out. "I don't like it. 'Looks stupid."

Seto came out of his pensive study of the opposite wall and turned towards where Katsuya was half hiding. Unamused, he snapped, "Get out here. We will be the judge as to how it looks as you would not know an Armani from a thirty dollar rag."

"Yeah, whatever," mumbled Katsuya as he shuffled out, rolling his eyes. "Still, I can tell ya that this thing ain't me. Might be good for someone forty years older…"

He did have a point there, Mokuba silently agreed. The dull gray of the cloth did not go at all with Katsuya's sun shiny personality. Beside him, Seto merely sighed and nodded for Katsuya to try on something else. Even being right did nothing to cheer Katsuya up after three hours of failing to find something acceptable to both of them.

"Wait, Jou. Try the one I picked out a few minutes ago. I think it's more your style."

"Uh, sure. I'll do that, Mokuba."

The younger Kaiba smiled in satisfaction and went back to swinging his legs and thinking about Seto's recent oddness. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it probably had something to do with Katsuya. Maybe Seto just needed a break from the ever-present blond. But then again… Mokuba frowned, remembering the kiss he'd seen the two exchange the other day when they hadn't realized he was home. It had surprised him, not because his brother was attracted to the same sex (he had known that for years), but because he had not expected Seto to display his feelings so openly. Knowing the elder Kaiba as Mokuba did, it was a safe bet that Seto was finally realizing exactly what he was doing with Katsuya and was frightened of it. Not that he would ever admit to anyone, including himself, to such a weakness but in the end it would lead him to do something rash. Seto had never been good at dealing with his emotions.

"It's fun having Jou around, isn't it?" Mokuba said to his brother quietly, furtively testing the waters in hopes of discovering what the other was thinking.

"Hn." Well, that didn't give away much.

"It's almost like having a second big brother around. He's so nice and funny. You could've had worse attached to you, right?"

Seto finally shifted and glanced sideways at Mokuba with narrowed eyes. All he said was, "Do not become too fond of him," before returning his gaze to the blank wall ahead.

His brother's warning worried him but he could not imagine what Seto could possibly have planned. It wasn't like there was any way to force those magic collars off, so Katsuya could not be leaving them any time soon. Unless they knew something he didn't. Mokuba pouted a little and slouched back in his seat. He hoped very much that whatever Seto was thinking, it wasn't anything that would hurt any of them.

"Hey, this ain't so bad!" Katsuya slipped through the curtain again, startling the Kaibas from their respective thoughts. The blond teen grinned at them and posed dramatically. "Whadda ya think?" The jacket and pants were solid black, cut in a modern style, and smoothly fit the curves and lines of the blond's body, complementing his slim figure perfectly. An open collared, crimson dress shirt completed the look, accenting the sight of smooth, tanned skin down to the collarbone.

"Much better!" Mokuba declared, bouncing to his feet. "Totally sexy, don't you agree 'Niisama?" He smiled up at the brunette innocently, pretending he did not notice the disapproving scowl.

The eldest Kaiba glared at the suit for a minute, but did not seem to have anything negative to say about it. "Where is your tie?" was all he could come up with.

Mokuba rolled his eyes and was quick to admonish his brother. "It would look stupid with a tie, duh. Stop being so old fashioned."

That seemed to settle the matter and soon the three left the building with full bags, relieved that the entire ordeal was over. The limousine was waiting. As Katsuya tossed the bags inside without waiting for the chauffeur to help and began to crawl in, Mokuba caught Seto watching the blond and felt his heart skip a beat. His brother's expression was… not anything Mokuba could describe, but for some reason it hurt to see it. It reminded him of the kind of tension that preceded a terrible accident or the moment before a storm broke. With a pounding heart, he quickly snatched Seto's arm, pulled him down to his level and urgently whispered in his ear. "I love you, but know right now that I will absolutely not support whatever it is you have planned to get rid of Jou. I'll dislike it if you hurt him but I'd get over it; however, if you end up destroying yourself and the humanity you finally gained after that monster's death, I'd never forgive you. Never. So don't do it. Don't you dare." Shaking slightly with anger and worry that came from somewhere deep inside him, Mokuba let go and scrambled into the vehicle without waiting for a reply. The warning he'd given had been the truth. There was no way he could forgive it if his brother reverted back to the cruel person he'd been when Gozaburo was still alive. He just could not go through the heartache and loneliness of it again.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"…possibility that Kaiba Corp's current product line may become stale and fall behind the competition next year, although I am sure you've already taken that into consideration, Kaiba-san?"

"Of course," replied Seto, his tone polite but distant. "The 'competition,' as you call it, will find themselves struggling merely to stay in business come the new year." He brought the rim of his crystal wineglass to his lips to hide a smirk as the man tried to conceal his curiosity with unsuccessful results. It was no secret that Kaiba Corp. was planning to come out with a new top of the line product that would, as usual, revolutionize the way Duel Monsters was played, but Seto had always preferred to keep the details from the general population until the unveiling, with only hints slipped here and there to raise anticipation. His company was working night and day to have the product finished by December for the Christmas sales; however, at the moment his mind was far more concerned with personal matters than with the business. Mokuba's heated words from yesterday after shopping for Katsuya's suit were stuck in Seto's head, and no matter how hard he tried to remain impervious he could still feel the guilt sitting like a rock in his stomach. Somehow Mokuba had caught on to Seto's intentions and was concerned for his big brother, but Seto was not sure that he could just throw away his plans for tonight. It had taken a lot out of him just to work up the courage he would need to go through with it.

Turning his attention to the rest of the enormous banquet hall set inside Kaiba Land for functions such as this, Seto's disinterested gaze passed over the groups of tycoons, chairpersons, CEOs and other businesspeople who were in attendance until he finally spotted a certain blond standing by the buffet table just within the reach allowed by their leash. Katsuya's posture practically screamed of uneasiness that he probably felt from being surrounded by so many magnates who were very quick to discriminate against those of little wealth or power. Taking pity on the out of place teen, and also knowing that it was imperative for Katsuya to be in a good mood tonight, Seto politely excused himself and headed over to join Katsuya. He approached from Katsuya's back so the blond did not notice him right away, giving Seto time to study the other for a moment. Admittedly, Katsuya had cleaned up very nicely in the suit that Mokuba had chosen, although his proletariat manners, especially while eating, still identified him as lower class to the keen eyes of the guests. Well, no harm done, and it was only for one evening in any case. Now that the speeches were completed, the rest of the banquet was unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Seto had other plans to put into action tonight and he intended to go through with them no matter what – preferably before he lost his nerve.

Finally, squaring his shoulders, Seto cleared his throat to attract Katsuya's attention. Katsuya tensed and only reluctantly turned, but his eyes lit up when he realized who it was standing there. "Kaiba, am I ever relieved to see ya. Yer buddies keep tryin' to find out if I'm some secret weapon of yours, or head of some bigass foreign business, or somethin'. 'Can't believe it, but most of 'em're more stuck up 'n you are!"

"Yes, they are a suspicious bunch," confirmed Seto, with an amused chuckle that belied his inner turmoil. It was very obvious that Katsuya did not belong here among the people Seto had grown up with, people who were guarded and ruthless in their attempts to rise to the top. These people were greedy, power-hungry capitalists who would backstab their own parents if they thought it would benefit them (and it often did). They were everything Katsuya was not and should never be. If he and Seto remained tied together… well, Katsuya could never be happy here. They might destroy each other if they remained together like this – Seto terrified of falling in love, and Katsuya being forced to live in the bloodthirsty business world. Logically it could not work, no matter what Mokuba hoped for.

Thankful for the ability to mask these feelings, the young CEO took another sip of wine and kept at a carefully calculated distance from Katsuya as he was aware of the many prying eyes on the two of them. "Are you ready to leave, Jounouchi?" It was getting late and the longer he held this off, the higher chance he would chicken out. Even he had his limits.

"Hell yah!" Katsuya grinned enthusiastically, an almost desperate look in his eye. Then he reluctantly added, "Ya sure it's okay, though? It _is_ you're party, ain't it?"

"It is hardly a 'party'. It's fine, the speeches were the important part, and in any case I cannot stand to be among these gossipmongers too long." He smirked reassuringly and set his glass on the table.

"Definitely ain't like any party I've ever seen," agreed Katsuya, frowning skeptically at the small groups of quiet, formal guests.

Seto nodded and started casually in the direction of the building's exit. Katsuya snatched one last piece of dessert before following close behind. They reached the doors unhindered because anybody who tried to approach them was successfully deterred by Seto's icy glare. There was no way he was going to put up with any more distractions tonight. When they stepped outside, Seto took a deep breath of the warm night air. He tried to keep his thoughts from racing too far ahead of the moment. It was necessary to remain calm right now and not let on that he was nervous as hell.

"Er… Kaib'? Where're we goin' now?"

"To my office. There is something I must do before we return home." Mokuba was at the mansion, ready to interfere if he decided his big brother was up to no good. The kid normally slept over at a friend's house on the weekends, but he had been in a strangely protective mood ever since his outburst yesterday. Because of this, the office would have to suffice right now.

The Kaiba Corp building was close to Kaiba Land and they decided to walk instead of taking the limo. It was warm out and Seto loosened his tie a bit, while Katsuya shed his jacket altogether to carry bunched under one arm. The shorter teen appeared relaxed and glad to be outside away from the judging eyes of the wealthy. Some of the tension eased in Seto as he discretely watched Katsuya. He really had grown used to the other's company and he wondered what it would feel like once they each went back to their own lives. Would Katsuya be angry at him? Would the blond even care?

"What're you scowling about?" Katsuya questioned, looking up at Seto's face with a curious expression. Before the brunette could reply, Katsuya drifted closer to his side until their shoulders brushed and slipped his hand into Seto's. He gave Seto a shy smile, although his face was glowing with happiness. "You okay?"

Seto calmly accepted the other's hand, but inside he was strangely elated and panicked all at once, causing the tension to return tenfold. Stiffly he nodded, keeping his face carefully void of anything except what he wanted Katsuya to see. Katsuya did not seem fully satisfied with this response, but thankfully did not pry further. This was going to be more difficult than Seto had feared, but he could not back out now or they might be stuck like this for the rest of their lives and there would only be himself to blame. Still, a sudden chill came over him at the thought of losing Katsuya altogether, despite the fear of falling in love, and Seto couldn't help but drop the other's hand and instead wrap his arm around Katsuya's waist to draw them closer together. Katsuya looked slightly bemused by this new position, but accepted it easily enough and relaxed against Seto as they walked. Seto almost smiled at the feeling of the shorter boy pressed against his side. It was nice, and it felt right for some reason. Instead of the future, he focused his thoughts on the warm, lithe body in his arm and the familiar scent that was distinctly Katsuya.

They soon reached their destination, the tallest building in Domino, and Seto led them through the doors with his security pass. He was reluctant to part from the blond, oddly comfortable in this position, and so they went up the elevator still with one arm around each other's waists, Seto fighting down guilt and anxiety the entire time. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he failed to notice that Katsuya was acting strangely subdued until they stepped into his office and he was abruptly jerked back to reality.

Peering down at the top of Katsuya's head, Seto worriedly asked, "Jounouchi? Is something the matter?"

"I dunno," he replied, pulling away to face Seto with a probing stare. "You tell me."

"What do you mean?" Seto raised an eyebrow, startled by this sudden turn of events. Katsuya could not possibly have any idea of what Seto had planned.

The blond chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip for a moment, a suspicion in his eyes. "Well, you've been acting weird for a while now. I can't help but get the feelin' that something's up, 'though damned if I can guess what it is." Katsuya apparently was a lot more perceptive that he'd let on.

But perhaps this was the perfect opening that Seto needed right now. The brunette hesitated, steeling himself for what was to come. This was not going to be easy, but then again nothing in this world that was worth obtaining ever was. He just prayed that he wasn't about to make the biggest mistake of his life.

'…_if you end up destroying yourself and the humanity you finally gained after that monster's death, I'd never forgive you.'_

He winced as he remembered Mokuba's words, and silently apologized to his little brother. He needed to break this spell, for many reasons, but maybe he would not have to lose anything in the end. Maybe Katsuya would forgive him after Seto had time to sort himself out.

"Kaiba?"

At Katsuya's concerned voice, Seto reached out and gently laid his hand on the other's shoulder, turning Katsuya towards the couch at the far end of the room. "We need to talk. Let's sit down." His own voice was surprisingly unwavering. Katsuya, more uneasy now, allowed himself to be herded to the couch without protest. Seto turned on a few lamps on the way and soon they were sitting side by side with only an awkward silence between them.

Last night Seto had remained awake trying to figure out exactly how he was going to go about this. He had planned out a script in his head – what he would say, how Katsuya would respond, every action they would take – but now, at the critical moment, he could not for the life of him recall any of it. Besides, it was impossible to predict how Katsuya would react. All there was to depend on was Katsuya's extraordinarily honest heart; because if he decided not to be fully honest right now, everything would be utterly ruined.

'_I'm such a coward_' He thought bitterly, hating himself for feeling so afraid. At least that was one definite conclusion he had managed from his sleepless night. Seto had realized that while he was trying his best to escape from Gozaburo's evil influence, in the end he was just too afraid of being manipulated through his emotions. Gozaburo could not touch him anymore, but there was always somebody else ready to take his place and because of that he had to maintain control at all costs.

"What's goin' on, Kaiba?" Katsuya spoke up softly, looking at the brunette's face with tense worry. "If you have somethin' to say, then spit it out, 'cause it ain't any fun trying to guess what yer thinking."

Seto nodded absently and finally looked Katsuya straight in the eye. "Climb on to my lap."

The blond blinked at the unexpected command. "Huh?" Seto did not repeat himself, but opened his arms a bit and gestured at him. Katsuya's eyes widened and he blushed, much to Seto's amusement. "Uh, no way. 'Thought ya wanted to talk."

"I do. But I want you as close as possible before I start." Growing impatient, Seto leaned towards the other to prod him into action, but Katsuya immediately shifted away.

"Nuh uh, no. Tell me first. Yer acting too weird."

Frustrated, the CEO gritted his teeth and backed off. He couldn't do this unless Katsuya was in his arms. He wanted this to be as real as possible, and perhaps he needed the comfort as well because what he planned to do next scared the shit out of him. He managed to keep his temper under control and decided to switch tactics.

"Please."

That one strained word caught Katsuya's attention like nothing else. "Wh-what?"

Knowing he sounded pathetic, he continued anyway. "Come here. Please. It's important."

"I…" Katsuya froze, and then his shoulders slumped as he sighed and stood up. He slowly walked until he was directly in front of Seto and facing him. "Just… don't try anything stupid, 'kay?" Seto nodded in response, and Katsuya slid into the taller teen's lap, one leg on either side of Seto so that they were facing each other still. At first Katsuya sat awkwardly, unsure of what he was supposed to do next, but Seto put his arms around Katsuya's back and urged him closer until the blond shyly leaned in against him, head on Seto's shoulder and hands on his chest.

For a long moment, Seto just held them in that position. He relished Katsuya's warmth and softness and hoped that when this was all over, he would be able to let go again. '_Focus. One thing at a time. First get rid of this damn leash, and then handle whatever follows._' Easier thought then done. It could only be true what he'd told Katsuya a while ago about how the spell changed and expanded based on their true emotions, not solely on their actions. Anything he did with Katsuya or told him would be useless unless it was heartfelt. He would have to be honest with himself and, even worse, would have to display it openly.

Seto would have to drop his defenses completely. He couldn't think of anything more terrifying with the exception of losing his little brother.

He tightened his hold on Katsuya and when the other looked up at him questioningly, Seto caught his lips up in a firm, close-mouthed kiss. Katsuya's body stiffened but he didn't move away for some reason. Seto used the pressure against his own lips as a focus, or more of a lifeline, and just… let go. He mentally shoved with all his might against the well built barriers within himself. They resisted easily as he'd known they would, but instead of trying to break through his own defenses, he let them down as far as possible, seeking what was behind them.

And then suddenly he found the center of his heart and it was like a plug had been pulled and everything he had been suppressing all the years since his parents had passed away tried come pouring out all at once. Everything… everything he didn't want to feel but had to at this moment… Rage and joy, resentfulness, tears, memories of childish delight and hate for those who'd ruined it, confusion, loneliness, want… it all hurt; it was so painful as he struggled to contain it, struggled not to drown in his own emotions, while searching… searching for that one thing he really needed right now.

"Mm-mph!" Distantly he felt and heard Katsuya begin to protest his harsh treatment, but Seto clung to Katsuya as though his life depended on it.

And then… he found it.

Very slowly, very carefully, the brunette allowed a few inches of distance between him and the stunned teenager on his lap. Absently he noted the drop of blood on Katsuya's upper lip, and the bewildered look in the blond's amber eyes. They were both panting heavily.

"K-Kaiba? Wh-what the… what was…?"

"I love you." Those three words, coming from the secret place deep in his heart, were so painful that Seto was afraid they would kill him on the spot. But they didn't and all he could do was wait for Katsuya to react. He expected to be punched or yelled at, but Katsuya was still too staggered to do anything but stare in utter disbelief. Seto did not want to repeat those words, but he knew he had to because Katsuya was probably convincing himself at this moment that they had only been a figment of his imagination. The second time was slightly easier; not much, but enough that Seto thought maybe one day he could get used to saying it if he had to.

"I love you." Did Katsuya know how hard this was? The blond duelist better not screw this up for him in the end. If the leash remained after all this trouble…

Katsuya opened and closed his mouth a few times, at a loss, before he finally managed to squeak out, "Eh?" Seto only stared back, waiting for it to sink in. Everything had to be sincere otherwise the leash would remain unaffected. Finally, Katsuya frowned and seemed to shake of his daze. "Kaiba… I… Is this a joke? I mean… we never… uh…"

"No!" Seto leaned forward and took hold of the shaken blond's shoulders. With as much earnestness as possible, he attempted to convince Katsuya that he meant it. "I really do. I love you, no matter how difficult it is for me to come to terms with it. Believe me! And for god sake tell me if you return my feelings!"

"Y-you're not actin' yerself. You're scarin' me," Katsuya muttered, starting to pull away but unable to loose himself from Seto's grip.

This was not going the way he'd planned. He was too stressed out by his emotions; they were wearing him down, making him feel too much at once. He wasn't used to it, didn't know what to do to control them now that they'd passed most of his inner walls.

"Ow, it hurts… stop it…" Katsuya whimpered, going still. There was a trapped, frightened expression on his face. "It hurts…"

The other's upset words cleared Seto's head a little. He saw how his fingers were digging harshly into Katsuya's shoulders. What… what was he doing? Quickly he let go, dismayed to find that Katsuya actually looked afraid of him. The blond remained frozen on the spot, too shaken up to try to escape off Seto's lap.

"Jou…"

"B-bastard. Why're ya doin' this to me?"

Seto inhaled deeply, trying to calm his nerves. As emotionally messed up as he was right now, he might only succeed in driving Katsuya to hate him. "I… I apologize. This isn't… easy." He sighed and leaned his head against the back of the couch, trying to gather his thoughts into some sort of order. "It's not a joke, that I love you. I just… cannot bear lying to myself and you any longer. Believe me… please."

Katsuya stared unblinking, his expression holding too many emotions for Seto to single them out. "Wh-why? How could ya l-love me?"

"How could I not?" Seto reached up and gently laid his right hand against Katsuya's cheek, and hid a frown when the blond flinched away. "I am drawn to you, Jounouchi. I always have been. I've repeatedly pushed you away in the past, but I have come to realize that I don't want to anymore. I want you close to me."

"But _why_? I thought… I mean, I'm nothing special. I knew ya didn't hate me anymore, but this… this is…" Katsuya shook his head in confusion.

"You _are_ special." Seto almost growled at the other's self-depreciation. Why the hell did Katsuya have to always think so little of himself? Obviously it was thanks to the damned people Katsuya called his parents. "You are a very special individual. Your friends would tell you the same thing. No matter what happens to you in life, you always come out smiling in the end. I think that's pretty damn special." And now he was probably starting to sound corny. But it was what Katsuya apparently needed to hear.

There was a slight quirk to Katsuya's lips now. "Thanks, I guess. But it's still weird…"

Again Seto put his hand to the other's cheek, and this time Katsuya let him. "Yes, I know." He caressed the side of Katsuya's face, amazed at how soft his skin was to the touch. "But you must believe me."

"Maybe I do," Katsuya whispered, his face red with embarrassment now. "I jus' never expected to hear it from you of all people."

Satisfied that he was finally getting through the other's thick skull, Seto closed the short distance between them and gently kissed Katsuya. He didn't press him this time, not wanting to hurt Katsuya again. And Katsuya thankfully allowed the kiss, even relaxing into it. Their breaths intermingled as they both sighed in relief and pleasure.

"Tell me you love me, too." Seto mumbled against Katsuya's lips. He needed Katsuya to say it, needed it to break the spell. But also… also he wanted it; deep down he ached to hear those words.

Katsuya shook his head as he tensed slightly. "'Can't… I can't, Kaib'."

It was like a bucket of ice water dumped on his head. Seto tore away from the kiss, anger surging through him. "What?" He hissed, trying to keep the rage in check. His emotions were still too raw. Normally he would never get so out of control as this. But right now it just hurt too damn bad to hear the rejection pouring out of Katsuya's mouth.

"I… I can't… Please, just – "

Seto's cell phone began to ring loudly, cutting Katsuya off as he began to explain. Fuming, Seto tore out his phone. When he saw his house number on it, he answered. "What, Mokuba? This had better be important." His tone was nasty, but he didn't care at the moment. He had every right to be irritated.

"'Niisama, where are you? Have you seen the late night news?" Mokuba's voice over the phone sounded almost frantic for some reason. "It's bad, Seto! It's all over the news!"

"What is? You're not making sense."

"You and Jou! Someone caught you guys kissing on camera and now they're all talking about it! You better come home right away."

For a moment, Seto just froze. How could anybody know about this already? It wasn't possible. And then the situation really hit home and the impact it would have on his company's image. Every emotional and mental defense abruptly slammed back into place. "I'll be there as soon as I can," he ground out and then snapped the cell shut. With a quick, unthinking shove, Seto removed Katsuya from his lap and stood. His back straight and stiff, he stormed over to his briefcase and headed for the door without a backward glance.

"Kaiba? What… what's going on?"

Seto halted in the doorway. Without turning he said coldly, "My Company is in danger, thanks to you. Our so called 'relationship' is on the news. Until I straighten this mess out, just stay the fuck out of my way, got it?" And then he left, his mind already on damage-control. If he had been thinking clearly, he would have realized what a terrible mistake he'd just made. As it was, he was too stressed and too concerned about Kaiba Corp's and his brother's future. This was exactly what he'd been afraid of happening.

He entered the waiting limo and ordered the driver to take him to his mansion as fast as possible without once remembering to wait for Katsuya who should have still been on the other end of the leash.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Alone in the partially lit office, Katsuya stared numbly at the door through which Seto had just stormed out of. Seto had left him. After all those words of love and how Katsuya was special, Seto had just up and left him for things that were apparently more important to the CEO. He'd been abandoned so easily, cast aside without a second thought. The blond teen didn't know how to react, especially since Seto was clearly blaming him for what had been on the news. A glint caught his eye, and dazedly Katsuya's gaze dropped to the small object lying on the couch in front of him. Two burnished gold circles linked by a thin, delicate chain. He inhaled sharply and hesitantly reached with shaking hands until his fingers touched the surprisingly warm metal. It was real and he knew exactly what it was.

With a small whimper that seemed too loud in the empty room, Katsuya withdrew his fingers. He wasn't linked to Seto anymore. It was over. They were finally free of each other. Why did it feel as though his heart was breaking at the thought? In a fit of sudden rage, Katsuya snatched up the collars and threw them with all of his strength at the nearest wall. They smacked into the hard surface with a satisfying clatter and then dropped to the ground unscratched.

"Bastard! Ya fuckin' asshole! I hate ya! I h-hate your fucking guts!" Katsuya screamed loud and hard, his entire body shaking with emotion. "I hate ya! Ya hear me! F-fuck you! G-go to hell!" Breathing hard and ignoring the tears that were now pouring down his cheeks, Katsuya tore out of the room, not wanting to remain in the cursed place a moment longer. Panic and betrayal welled up inside of him, along with a hurt so deep and intense that he didn't know what to do with it. Knowing there was only one person he could go to when he felt like this, Katsuya slammed through the building's front doors and ran all out down the dark streets until the night swallowed him up.

-.-.-.-.-.-

To be continued…

_**Meet One's Waterloo: **To encounter one's ultimate obstacle and to be defeated by it. From the Battle of __Waterloo__, where __Napoleon Bonaparte__ was finally defeated._

(A/N) -cough- So… I'm back… I realize that was a super long wait, so here's a super long chapter to make up for it (hopefully). Hope you didn't actually expect a happy ending yet -grin-. And yeah, I totally handled this part differently than even I expected haha. No s-e-x here, it just didn't fit, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway? Please don't give up on me yet! Thanks for the reviews!!

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em!


	15. The Last Straw

**Warnings**: shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, etc...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU

**Pairings**: Seto/Jou; Honda/Otogi;

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas.

-.-.-.-.-.-

**Inescapable You**

Chapter 15: The Last Straw

Hiroto glared unseeingly at the wall and listened to the alarm clock slowly tick away the seconds of the long night. There were still a few hours left until sunrise, but he knew he wouldn't fall asleep no matter how exhausted he was. He would stay awake for his friend's sake and maintain vigilance for as long as it was needed. His eyes were hard with anger and distress, although he held his body relaxed so as not to disturb the boy held securely in his arms. Kaiba Seto ought to rot in hell for what he'd done, and Hiroto only wished he could be the one to send him there. He'd known from the beginning that the self-centered jerk wouldn't understand what a rare gift he'd been handed when Katsuya had begun to trust him. Katsuya's trust didn't come easily, even in those like Yugi or Ryou who wouldn't hurt a fly on purpose, but whenever he did decide it might be okay to put his faith in a person, he did it with his whole heart and nothing less. Seto wasn't the first to take advantage of this and then turn his back on the ex-gang member. Damn him!

In his arms, Katsuya clung to him tightly even in his sleep, his head nestled under Hiroto's chin. Every once in a while he'd twitch fitfully or whimper, and Hiroto would murmur soothingly until he calmed again. At least that awful, uncontrollable shaking had stopped. Katsuya had been a wreck when he'd first burst into the apartment without warning, using the spare key Hiroto had given to him ages ago. Ryuuji had been over at the time, cuddling with Hiroto on the couch in front of the TV with a movie playing. It warmed Hiroto to remember how concerned his green-eyed lover had been over Katsuya, setting aside any remaining jealousy in light of the situation. The sight of Katsuya, his eyes wild with panicked emotion and his face full of tears had scared the shit out of the both of them, and Hiroto had immediately raced over to pull the blond protectively into his arms. The fact that Seto was nowhere to be seen made it pretty clear that he was the cause of this. Katsuya had been shaking so badly he couldn't speak. He'd just latched on to Hiroto, pressed his abnormally pale face against the taller brunette's chest, and refused to let go. Ryuuji'd had to help Hiroto bring Katsuya to his bedroom, setting them in a more comfortable position on the bed so that Hiroto was leaning against the wall, a pillow at his back, with the still shaking blond in his lap and held tightly against him.

'Take care of him. I can see he needs you,' Ryuuji had whispered with an understanding smile, much to Hiroto's immense relief. Then Ryuuji left and they were alone in the apartment, Hiroto's parents having departed the day before on a short trip to visit some relatives.

'He left…' Katsuya had finally managed, hiding his face against Hiroto's chest. 'He… he s-said he l-loved me… th-then he left… Why? Wh-why?'

Rage had filled Hiroto at hearing this. Rage and frustration and so much more. Why did Katsuya always have to be hurt by those he trusted? He could recall all too clearly every single time in the past that Katsuya had come running to him after suffering another betrayal. Even worse had been the times when the blond hadn't, but tried to bear the pain alone until Hiroto would find him huddled miserably in one of their hideouts or the park. Katsuya had always had the terrible habit of blaming himself for things that were beyond his control, and while Hiroto was used to the other's low self-esteem and self-inflicted guilt trips, it still hurt every time to see it. And now… once again. Damn that Kaiba to hell. Next time they met, Hiroto was definitely not going to hold back any punches.

Katsuya stirred against him. "Hond'…"

"S'okay. I'm here. Go back to sleep." Hiroto held him tighter and gently rubbed Katsuya's back for comfort. His neck ached from the upright position he'd been in for the last few hours, but he refused to complain. This was all so unfair. Katsuya deserved so much more than what life threw at him. "I won't leave you. I'll always be here, Jou. You can count on me, at least. Don't worry, you can sleep for now." Reassured by Hiroto's familiar voice, the blond let out a shuddering sigh and silently drifted off again. Hiroto sighed as well and rested his chin on Katsuya's head. The night seemed to be dragging on, and he knew things were not going to be much better in the morning. Tired and upset, Hiroto continued to glare off into space, keeping himself awake by imagining all the ways he could painfully kill that heartless CEO.

-.-.-.-.-.-

He awoke with a start when his head slipped off his folded arms and smacked onto the desk's surface. Grumbling, he lifted his head and rubbed the sore spot on his forehead. He was slightly disoriented, so it took him a moment to remember why he'd fallen asleep in his home office.

Last night… Crap. What a disaster.

Slowly straightening up in his seat, back and neck aching from the awkward position he'd slept in, he noticed his younger brother curled up on the couch with a quilt wrapped around him. Mokuba had kept him company all night while Seto spent hours on the phone trying to find out how badly that newspaper article was going to affect him and his company, and the best way to go about rectifying the situation. The head of his public relations management had been absolutely furious about the article. Surprisingly she'd informed him that she didn't care what his sexual preferences were but, in her own words, "You need to tell me about these things as soon as you are aware of them so that we can be prepared and slowly ease the public into acceptance. Now the shit's hit the fan and we're going to have a hell of a time repairing the damage!" Seto winced at the memory of the following lecture. Of course, Tomoko-san was the best at her job and someone who'd been with his company almost since the beginning, so he'd only gritted his teeth and borne the humiliation silently. Fortunately, she'd assured him in the end that her team was working on putting together a press conference to be held in a few days. In the mean time, he was to keep his mouth shut around the press and make sure the Company continued on as normal. There was nothing more he could do at the moment then, except work on what he was going to say at the conference. It was going to have to be one hell of a speech.

Automatically he turned his gaze to the side, unconsciously searching for comfort in the form of warm, cheerful, honey-brown eyes. He'd become used to finding a certain blond sprawled on the floor beside him, padded by a bunch of large pillows, while waiting for Seto to finish up with the night's work. However, when he found the floor beside him empty, his mind froze. Katsuya wasn't there and it came as a shock to realize he couldn't recall seeing him since he'd left Kaiba Corp. His eyes quickly scanned the rest of his home office, but Mokuba was the only person there aside from himself. Heart in his throat, he leapt up and hurried to the door. Perhaps Katsuya had been too upset with him to want to be in the same room. Maybe he'd decided to sleep out in the hallway; the leash should be long enough for that. But when he stepped out, Katsuya was nowhere to be found.

It felt very odd to be standing there alone. Katsuya had been following him around for so long now that it didn't feel right to be anywhere without him. "Jounouchi! Where are you, you stupid…" Then he recalled his actions after receiving the phone call from Mokuba last night. A feeling of trepidation grew at the memory.

"_Kaiba? What… what's going on?"_

_Seto halted in the doorway. Without turning he said coldly, "My Company is in danger, thanks to you. Our so called 'relationship' is on the news. Until I straighten this mess out, just stay the fuck out of my way, got it?" And then he left, his mind already on damage-control._

He'd taken the limo back to the mansion. Katsuya… Katsuya hadn't been with him. He'd left him in the office building. The leash… It couldn't have possibly stretched that far. There was no way…

Suddenly he was running to the mansion's front door, calling up his limo driver on his cell while he took the stairs three at a time. He had to get back to his office. He had to make sure…

The drive back to Kaiba Corp seemed to take forever. Seto's head was filled with horrible images of Katsuya lying on the floor of his office, his head torn off by the damned collar. Dead eyes staring… No! It couldn't have happened that way! Seto shook his head, trying to banish the unthinkable idea. He would have felt the leash tighten, wouldn't have he? Certainly he'd have been choked by it too. But then… what could possibly have happened? The leash was not long enough, so how were they able to put so much distance between themselves without facing the consequences? For now he just focused on reaching his office, putting aside the guilt he was feeling over how he'd treated Katsuya until he knew the blond was okay.

When he finally arrived at Kaiba Corp, he rushed inside and went straight to the elevator, ignoring the few early employees in the lobby. He didn't stop until he reached his office door, where he hesitated with his hand on the doorknob. 'Please… Be okay…' The desperation of his own thoughts shocked him, but he realized that although last night had not turned out the way he'd planned, he had truly meant the words he'd spoken to Katsuya, meant them with his entire heart. 'I love you…' He still meant them, even after that newspaper article proved people would take advantage of his weakness. He still wanted…

With a deep breath, he calmed himself, and opened the door. A quick glance around as he stepped in told him the room was empty. Katsuya wasn't there, bleeding on the floor or otherwise. He let out a sigh of relief and went over to couch to collapse on its cushions. He was surprised to find himself shaking. Katsuya wasn't here. He must be okay, somewhere.

"I screwed up." A difficult admission, but true. Seto scowled up at the ceiling, feeling the guilt well up inside him now that he was here. He'd pressured Katsuya, angry that the blond refused to say those three important words back to him, and then he'd blamed Katsuya for something that wasn't solely his fault. But he hadn't been thinking clearly. His emotions had left him too raw to deal with reality. How did people let out their emotions like that every day without going crazy? It was impossible!

Seto frowned, going over in his head every word and action from last night. Where had he gone wrong? He'd let down his barriers, he'd shown Katsuya his heart, and then…

"_Tell me you love me, too."_

"'_Can't… I can't, Kaib'."_

Katsuya wouldn't say it back. He just… No. Seto's frown intensified and he sat straighter in his seat. _"I can't…"_ Katsuya didn't actually say _why_ he couldn't return those words. He hadn't mentioned anything about not loving Seto, and in fact had never even pushed Seto away. Katsuya had practically melted into that final kiss, so there was no rejection there. If it wasn't rejection, then what? Maybe… maybe Katsuya had just been speaking the truth. Maybe he _couldn't_ say 'I love you.' Perhaps he was only frightened…

A sparkle of light from the corner of his eyes distracted him from his thoughts. Turning his head, it took him a moment to spot a foreign object lying on the ground by the wall. He stood and walked over to it, frowning thoughtfully down at the item before bending over to carefully pick it up. The thin chain lay across the palms of his trembling hands, and two golden circles, _collars_ his mind automatically supplied, hung on either end. Unbelieving, he slowly raised a hand to his throat. The leash and collar that had bound the two of them all this time… It was off? Was this really the same one? He hadn't felt it let go, but the item in his hands couldn't be anything else.

"How?" It was impossible. Had his theory about how the collars worked been wrong? After the debacle of last night, the leash should have shortened if it was going to change at all. And yet, here it was, deceivingly innocent in all appearance. He wasn't tied to Katsuya anymore. What did it mean? He didn't understand.

It stung his pride to realize he would need help with solving this mystery. His grip tightened on the Egyptian artifact. Before he faced Katsuya again, if ever, he knew he needed to settle this matter. He desperately wanted to know what this sudden change meant and how it related to last night. Deciding not to waste any more time, especially with the press conference preparations looming over his head, Seto took out his cell and reluctantly dialed the number to the Kami Game Shop. While the phone rang, it suddenly occurred to him that he might be in trouble if Katsuya had run to Yugi last night. Yugi would have good reason not to provide Seto with answers if he'd learned what Seto had done.

Fortunately, when Yugi answered the phone and learned it was Seto, he sounded as disgustingly pleased to talk to him as always. It was obvious he hadn't heard from Katsuya yet, which probably meant the blond had either gone home or, even more likely, to Hiroto's place. At least he hoped Katsuya had done so. If the teen was out wandering Domino aimlessly, or hurt somewhere, Seto would never forgive himself.

"Kaiba-san! It's good to hear from you, how are you? How's Jou-kun?"

Seto was in no mood for niceties. "Get your… other half on the phone."

"Oh, but…" Yugi paused for a moment and by the sounds filtering through the phone, Seto determined the boy was moving to a different location. When he continued speaking, his tone was more subdued. "I saw the article in the newspaper this morning. I was going to call you soon anyway. Are you okay?"

It surprised Seto to realize Yugi was actually concerned about _him_. Not that Yugi's mothering-type nature was anything new, but this sounded so sincere that for a moment it threw him off. "It's being… dealt with. Now if you could – "

"I mean, the _nerve_ of that… that _jerk_! I can't believe he invaded your privacy like that!" The sudden outrage in Yugi's normally soft voice startled a smile out of Seto despite the situation. It felt kind of good to know that someone saw his side of things right now. Of course, Yugi would probably hate him after learning what he'd done to Katsuya. For some reason that thought was almost painful. "Don't worry, Kaiba, they're just trying to sell their dumb newspapers. It won't affect your business as much as you're probably thinking it will, especially with me and Yami backing you up all the way!"

Seto wasn't quite sure how to respond to this proclamation of loyalty. Normally, he would've snubbed Yugi, but right now he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. "Ah… I'll keep that in mind. Now, if you would put your… Yami on, it's important that I speak with him." He was never quite sure what to call the spirit that had apparently come out of Yugi's puzzle.

"Sure thing. Just hang on a moment, please." There was the sound of the phone being placed carefully on a surface as Yugi went to retrieve his Yami, which meant that at the moment they must be separated. Seto's lips twitched involuntarily at Yugi's politeness while he waited patiently. No matter how many times he cruelly rejected Yugi's attempts at friendship, the short duelist never gave up and always remained as cheerful and polite as always. It was one of the things that'd always irritated Seto about Yugi; how could anyone in this disgusting world constantly remain so positive?

"Kaiba. You needed to speak with me?"

Yami's greeting brought Seto out of his musings. He tensed, detesting the challenge that always seemed to be present in the other duelist's deeper voice. He wanted to return the challenge and prove that he was the stronger of the two, but he knew that it would only make things worse right now and so he fought the urge. The Egyptian spirit's help was required, no matter how difficult it was to stamp down the usual resentment over the other's existence. Maintaining a neutral tone with no small effort, Seto went right to the point. "The collars have come off. Jou and I are no longer tied together."

There was unexpected silence on the other end at this announcement. And then curses in both Japanese and Egyptian came loudly through the receiver, causing Seto to wince at the volume and pull the phone away from his ear. If this was Yami's initial reaction, Seto had a very bad feeling that he was not going to like the explanation.

-.-.-.-.-.-

It still hurt. Katsuya gazed blankly down at the bowl of soup on the table in front of him. No matter how hard he tried to not think about what Seto had done to him, it still hurt like nothing else ever had. He should have known this would happen. Should've been prepared. Everyone else who'd ever pretended to love him had left, so why would've it been any different with _him_. It was the reason he'd been unable to return the words 'I love you' last night. There was too much pain in saying them. It caused too much damage. The only thing those words had ever brought him was betrayal. But even so… even if he couldn't say them back, he'd been so happy to hear Seto say them. So happy… So why then? Why had Seto turned on him so easily right after? Maybe he was cursed. He thought about it absently, wondering if he should ask Yami about curses that caused loved ones to turn on you. After all, if the strange adventures he'd been dragged into with Yugi were possible, this was as likely as anything else.

A second bowl was carefully set down by his and the scrape of a chair alerted Katsuya to Hiroto's presence. His friend sat down beside him, so close their shoulders brushed as a reminder that there was still at least one person who cared for him. One person who had yet to leave him. Although rationally he knew that Yugi, Anzu and the others in their small gang cared for him just as much, it was still Hiroto he'd turned to last night. He hadn't even given the others a second thought, which only further added to the feeling of guilt that had been present ever since he'd left Kaiba Corp. He leaned further against the brunette, seeking reassurance in the other's solid presence.

"You should eat," said Hiroto quietly, already starting on his own food.

Katsuya shook his head, feeling slightly nauseous at the thought of food at the moment. "'Not hungry…"

Thankfully, Hiroto didn't push him. He never did unless it was absolutely necessary, which was one of the things Katsuya had always liked about him. He needed a friend right now, not a nagging mother, and Hiroto understood that.

After a few minutes of silence, broken only by the sounds of Hiroto slurping his soup, Katsuya felt him shift and start to stand up. A sudden bolt of anxiety struck him, and before he knew what he was doing, he'd grabbed Hiroto's arm to keep the other from moving away.

Hiroto paused and looked down at him with a troubled frown. "Jou? What is it?"

Humiliation caused him to lower his head, unable to meet Hiroto's eyes but also unable to let him go. After everything… after Seto… Maybe Hiroto too would… "Y-you… I don't… I'm scared," he finally muttered, almost hoping Hiroto couldn't hear him. It was embarrassing, but he truly was frightened of being left alone. It was his biggest fear. That he would have no one left who cared for him.

Slowly, Hiroto sat back down and faced him. He could tell by the tense muscles in the other's arm that Hiroto was upset about something. "Hey, Jou… What happened? What did he do?"

"He… H-he said…" Katsuya closed his eyes tightly and shook his head, trying to dispel the memories. Seto had seemed so sincere. He'd spoken those cursed words in a tone that was gentle and loving. And yet… and yet Katsuya had done it again. He'd driven Seto away just by existing. It just wasn't fair. Seto hadn't even given him a chance. "It doesn't matter. It's over. That's all there is to it, I guess." He smirked bitterly and finally released Hiroto. Rising from his chair, he saw the worry on his best friend's face, and tried to smile instead to alleviate the other's concern. It didn't work very well and came out feeling more like a grimace.

"I'm going to kill him," Hiroto muttered crossly.

He did come close to smiling at that. It'd be almost worth it to see Hiroto and Seto go head to head, except Katsuya knew for a fact that the CEO had trained quite extensively in different areas of fighting and could probably beat the shit of anyone without hardly trying. With a sigh, Katsuya shook away the thought of Seto again and shuffled his feet hesitantly. "I guess… I guess I should be heading home."

He was surprised by the sudden fear in Hiroto's expression at his words. Hiroto stood as well and grabbed Katsuya shoulders. "Why? Stay here. I don't want you to go back to _that_!"

"I… I have to," Katsuya replied, not understanding. It wasn't like he could stay at the Hondas' place forever. Now that he was able to, there was no choice but to go home.

"But, I mean, your dad. Won't he be angry?"

Katsuya looked away with a shrug. "Isn't he always? Won't be no different." So his father would yell and throw a fit. Nothing new. It would still hurt, but it always had and he still loved his father.

"Dammit, Jou! Listen to me. I'm telling you not to go home, okay? You're still depressed and – " Hiroto didn't get to finish as he was shoved away.

"And what? Huh?! I'm not gonna be some charity case for ya! You've always understood before!" Katsuya's fists clenched at his sides, his body shaking. Not now. They couldn't fight now.

"I have not! I've never understood how you could go back to that bastard again and again after he hurts you every time! You don't deserve that! Why can't you just see…?"

Katsuya flinched at the anger and disappointment in his friend's eyes. He hated this argument. They'd had it too many times in the past. Now it felt like Hiroto was turning on him at the worst time. He couldn't handle this right now. His stomach clenched and twisted as raw fear ate away at him. In his panic, he verbally lashed out, blindly hoping to inflict some damage before he could be hurt himself. "Fuck you! What do you know 'bout what I fucking deserve? You're gonna leave me too, in the end, so what's it matter to you!" The nausea grew with his rising panic. He fought to keep himself under control, but he was too badly shaken to keep his head straight about what was happening. Damn Seto! Why'd he have to… "Just leave me! See if I care! I'm use'ta it! I don't fuckin' care anymore! E-everyone… J-just… I d-don't care! I don't!" He was shouting. His breathing came in rough pants and it was all he could do to keeping from barfing up whatever was left in his stomach.

Suddenly Hiroto was right in front of him, pulling him against his broad chest. Warm, familiar arms encircled him and held him tightly. "Shh, Jou, it's okay. I'm sorry. Didn't mean to… Shit, I'm so sorry. I'm not going to leave, so don't do this. Please, trust me."

Katsuya shook uncontrollably but managed to get his breathing under control after a few minutes. He felt ashamed of himself. Hoarsely, he tried to explain, but Hiroto cut him off. "No, s'okay. If… if you have to go home, then I'll walk you, alright? At least let me do that?"

He nodded against Hiroto and reluctantly pulled away from the comfort. "Fine." It would be useless to argue about it anyway. "Just gotta use the toilet first." He avoided Hiroto's gaze and rushed to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. After a couple of minutes of retching over the toilet, he flushed it and went to the sink to rinse his mouth out. Gods… this was just… just too much. No matter how many times this happened to him, it never became easier to get over the rejection. He splashed cold water on his face and took a deep breath. Looking in the mirror only proved that he appeared as awful as he felt. He just stared at his reflection, allowing his mind to clear. After all these years he'd become an expert at hiding the hurtful memories and emotions in the very back of his mind, where even he'd have trouble digging them out again. It wasn't healthy to dwell on the past. He closed his eyes tightly and focused only on what was to come next. He pushed away thoughts of Seto and everything that'd happened between them during the past weeks. A welcome calm settled over him and he finally felt ready to open his eyes again and face the rest of the day.

"Okay, I'm ready," said Katsuya after leaving the bathroom. His smile was a bit more successful this time, and some of the worry lines on Hiroto's forehead eased.

The walk to the apartment complex where Katsuya lived took close to a half hour, but it was a nice day and neither teen minded the exercise. They were both lost in their own thoughts on the way, so conversation was kept to a minimum. Katsuya was being careful to hide his reluctance about going home to his dad because he didn't want to have another argument with his friend, but his stomach tightened as the building came into sight. It never really occurred to him to refuse to go back to the apartment. It was his responsibility to take care of the home and his dad. He'd never shirked that responsibility before and he wasn't planning on doing so now that he was free. His father had all too many times drilled the idea into him that he'd be just like his mother if he left. He wasn't like that woman and he never wanted to be!

They stopped on the worn steps and Katsuya looked down at his shoes uncomfortably. "I'd like to go up alone." His father was going to be so angry about Katsuya's extended absence. The last thing he wanted was for Hiroto to witness his dad's rage.

Hiroto seemed like he was prepared to argue, but instead he sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Fine. Call me when you can, okay?"

"Sure. See y'around, I guess." Katsuya hesitated, and then wrapped his arms around the taller teen in a grateful hug. "Thanks for takin' care of me, Hond'. It means a lot."

"Jou…" He waited until Katsuya looked up. "Just remember, no matter what he says to you up there, you're a good person. Don't take his words to heart, alright? You don't need to be ashamed of who you are."

Katsuya bit his lip, feeling his eyes prickle at his best friend's caring words. Leave it to Hiroto to say something that he'd so desperately needed to hear at the moment. "Thanks. I… I'll try t'remember that."

As he left Hiroto and entered the building, he wished that he was strong enough to just turn around and forget about his father. He wasn't, though. No matter what, he knew he'd always return back to where he was needed the most. Despite how the old man treated him, Katsuya still cared and also there was that fear of abandoning his family as his mother had done. When he reached the door to his apartment after the long climb up the stairs without running into anybody else he knew, he reached with a trembling hand and tested the door latch. It was locked. That usually meant his dad wasn't home. He allowed himself a small sigh of relief while reaching for his keys. The door creaked as usual when he opened it and stepped inside. The lights were off and the curtains drawn, darkening the room.

"Dad?" He called quietly, hesitant to turn on the lights if the old man was lying on the couch napping. When there was no answer and no other telltale sound, he felt for the switch and light flooded the small apartment. It only took him a split second to see that something was off. The first thing he noticed was how the little wooden table against the wall in the hall was completely cleared of its usual mess of papers. Then he realized that the framed pictures that'd always been on the walls were gone, leaving only rectangular shapes that were a lighter shade than the rest of the paint. All that came to mind was that they must've been robbed.

But as he ran from room to room, a different, much more terrifying impression began to form. Everything was gone except for some of the furniture and bits of worthless junk. The blankets and towels in the closet; the television and coffee table in the living room; most of the remaining food in the kitchen along with the dishes and cutlery – none of it was where it was supposed to be. He left the bedrooms until last, afraid of what he would find. When he did finally gather the courage to peek in to his father's room, he found it mostly bare. The bed was stripped and his father's clothes were gone.

"Oh god…" He felt faint. Slowly, he turned toward his own bedroom. He'd never been so glad to have already taken away the most important items and clothing with him when he'd gone to live with Seto, because when he stepped in he found his room just as empty as his father's. He stood there for a while, half in shock at the realization that they had not in fact been robbed at all. A thief would have only taken the most valuable objects.

His dad was gone. Moved out. He'd gone away and left Katsuya behind.

Katsuya sunk to the floor in a daze, shaking and unable to decide if he was going to cry or start laughing at the irony. He'd been so worried about staying here and supporting his father, he'd never imagined he'd be the one abandoned in the end. Just like what his mom and sister had done. And now he was the only one left here.

His shaking increased and he gagged although there was nothing left in his stomach to bring up. His father had always despised him, but at least he'd constantly been there when Katsuya came home at the end of the day. Now… Oh god, now what was he going to do? He didn't know what to do next. Didn't think he _could_ do anything. Everyone was gone and he was left all alone in this dark apartment.

Teeth chattering, cheeks damp with tears, Katsuya forced his body to crawl over to the ratty mattress that was still left in the room. He curled on top of it and began sobbing. He wanted his dad to come back. Maybe he'd return and tell him this had all been some kind of sick joke. Maybe he'd hold Katsuya for the first time in many years and tell him that he wasn't a bad person after all and that he still had family who loved him. But it didn't happen. Katsuya's cries grew frantic as he began to panic. His breaths came in desperate gasps and the sobs shook his body. After a while, knowing he was hyperventilating, Katsuya brought his hands up over his ears and closed his eyes tightly. He blocked out everything around him, pushed his anxious thoughts aside until his mind was blank, and concentrated only on the sound of his own heart beat. Very slowly, the tension in his muscles eased, until finally he drifted off into a light, blissfully dreamless sleep.

-.-.-.-.-

'… _So, now do you understand? Do you see?'_

'_No… That cannot be right. He never said he-'_

'_As I've already told you, it's not about words; it's about true feelings. He didn't have to say it aloud. All it takes is for each of you to admit it to yourselves. To acknowledge it within. You opened yourself to him, and that was your way of letting yourself be aware of the truth. For him, he only had to know it in his heart because he's not the type to keep things as tightly guarded as you do.'_

'_Then he…' Seto trailed off, still overwhelmed by what he was hearing._

_Yami answered anyway, his voice solemn. 'Yes. Your souls were united in that one instant and so the binding spell was broken. Even if you did not realize it consciously, your hearts knew and were joined. The spell is broken, and I cannot stop you from going your own way now that you have separated from him, but I would suggest that you think on this very deeply. You'll only harm both of you by denying what's happened between you.'_

'_But he's gone. He'll never trust me again after I hurt him like that.'_

'_I've never known you to give up so easily, Kaiba. Is he so worthless to you that you'll let him go without a fight?'_

'_Of course not! I always fight for what's mine, even if it destroys me in the end. I only hope he can forgive me.'_

'_It might take him awhile, but I think he'll be able to forgive you. He's had a few hard earned second chances in his life, so he knows how important they are. I'm counting on you to make him whole again, Kaiba.'_

_Then Yami hung up and Seto sat on the couch for the next few hours, thinking over everything he'd learned through their conversation. In the end, he made a decision and knew he wouldn't regret it even if the public turned their backs on Kaiba Corp for it.__ After all, what was his company and fortune without someone to care for him at his side?_

-.-.-.-.-

Hiroto had only just slipped off his shoes after arriving home when a sharp knock came at the door he'd just closed behind him. For a moment he hoped it was Katsuya. Maybe the blond had decided against going back to that horrible man he called father, and had run back here instead. But then he shook it off, knowing Katsuya better than that. Wearily, he turned back to the door and opened it without looking through the peephole first. He regretted it, however, when he found the very last person he'd ever expected to be in his doorway. Too shocked to come up with anything to say, he only stared back at the razor sharp, blue eyes that held his gaze.

"I need to speak with Jounouchi," announced Seto, as though he hadn't just deeply wounded Hiroto's best friend.

Instantly enraged, Hiroto lunged forward and grabbed the other brunette by the collar of his trench coat, throwing him against the opposite wall in the hallway. How dare he! How dare this bastard come here looking for Katsuya after what he'd done! He tightened his grip, and shoved Seto harder against the wall. "If you think I'm ever going to let you near him again, you'd better think again, you fucker! I can't believe you! Haven't you done enough to him?! Are you here to gloat now, on top of it all, huh?!" He was yelling now, too furious to care about what the neighbors would think.

Seto only glared back, appearing barely ruffled by the other's outburst, which only angered Hiroto further. The blue-eyed CEO smirked. "So, he did come here then. I never thought he'd be so cowardly as to set his little guard monkey on me, however."

"Shut-up! Don't you dare call him a coward. Do you have any idea how much you fucking hurt him?!"

Surprisingly, Seto's mask slipped a little at that. There actually seemed to be some regret in his expression. "Yes. I do. That is precisely why I wish to see him. I would like to fix what I did, if possible."

"The hell you would." Hiroto wasn't about to let up, not after he'd betrayed Katsuya so callously. "He doesn't want to see you, so just crawl back to your fancy mansion and brag to your underlings about how you finally defeated the poor, second-rate duelist, the mutt, the proletariat. That's what you've always thought of him as, isn't it? So fuck off, and don't come back here again or I'll break that pretty face of yours!"

He abruptly let go of Seto after another violent shove, and stormed back into his apartment, slamming the door behind him. He locked it as well, for good measure. Damn him, anyway! What a self-centered jerk, having the gall to seek out Katsuya after everything. The ringing phone cut through the silence. Still seething, he stomped over and jerked it from its cradle. "Yeah?" He wasn't in the mood to be polite.

'_Is this the Honda residence?'_

The voice was unfamiliar. An elderly woman, by the sound of it. Feeling bad about his rude greeting, he answered more calmly. "Yes, this is. May I help you?"

'_Jounouchi Katsuya gave me this number as an emergency contact. I'm his landlady. I wasn't sure where he was staying, so would you be so kind as to pass a message on to him for me?'_

"Uh… sure." He instinctively felt something was wrong. He tensed, hoping it wasn't extremely bad news. Maybe she just wanted to inform him that the rent was due or something.

'_Thank you. Please let him know that the locks to the apartment are being changed in a few days, so if he or his father forgot anything, he should come pick it up soon.'_

Wait, what? The locks? Hiroto blinked, not understanding. "Uh, sorry, but I'm not sure I… Why are the locks being changed?"

'_Oh, they moved out last week__, he didn't tell you? Left quite the mess too. So just let him know I called about that, and anything left that he doesn't claim will be thrown out.'_

"Ah, er… okay. I… I'll do that." He slowly hung up and stood staring at the wall in a daze. Moved out? What did that mean? Katsuya's father couldn't have… He _wouldn't_ have been that cruel, right?

… Then again…

"Oh fuck!" Hiroto rushed back to the door, barely taking the time to shove on his shoes before bolting to the stairs. The elevator would be too slow. He ran down as fast as possible, hoping he wouldn't break his neck on the way. On the ground floor he skid around the corner and slammed through the doors. Panting for air, he frantically scanned the parking lot and never felt so relieved to see the back of that ugly white trench coat just slipping into a limo nearby. He raced over and rapped desperately on the window, grateful when it rolled down to reveal Seto's wary glare.

"J-Jou… He… I need to…" He gasped, out of breath. Damn it, this was taking too long. He'd left Katsuya there all alone! This was his fault, he should have went all the way up there with him. "Give me a ride to Jou's place!" He finally managed to get out. "Please, it's important! He…"

It astonished him that Seto didn't hesitate to open the door and pull him into the car. Hiroto's concern for Jounouchi had overridden his anger toward Seto, and now all he could think about was getting to his friend as quickly as possible. A quick command to the driver had the limo almost speeding to Katsuya's apartment building. Hiroto spent the short ride fidgeting while he avoided Seto's questioning looks and instead stared unseeingly out the window, hoping that everything would turn out okay. He knew Katsuya all too well and knew that finding the apartment empty and his father gone would devastate him. After his mother had left, taking Shizuka with her, Katsuya had clung to the fact that he still had a father. He still had at least one family member, no matter how hateful the old man acted towards him. Family was even more important to Katsuya than friends because he'd never had much of one and craved the stability and love that only a family could provide.

Seto was unexpectedly silent during the short ride and Hiroto was glad not to have to deal with any prying questions. When they arrived, Hiroto was out of the car before it even stopped moving and he raced into the building, heading for the stairs as he knew the elevator hadn't worked in years. He heard heavy footsteps behind him and glanced back once to see Seto jogging up behind him. It would be a waste of time to argue about the necessity of the other's presence, so Hiroto let it go for now.

The door was unlocked and he paused there for a moment to catch his breath again. Seto stood silently beside him. It was creepy to feel as though Seto was actually there to back him up. Finally ready, Hiroto stepped through the doorway and into the lighted hall. He winced at the sight of the empty walls. From behind him, he heard a questioning sound but he didn't turn around to explain. He checked the living room first, but finding it empty, decided Katsuya's bedroom would be the most likely place for the blond to hide out. If he was still here.

The bedroom door was open a crack and Hiroto only had to nudge it a little further to see inside. When he finally spotted the loan figure curled up tightly on the mattress, face hidden in his arms and knees up to his chest, Hiroto felt his heart break. Feeling terrible for leaving his friend alone so long in this empty apartment, Hiroto stepped forward, but was immediately shoved aside as another person beat him to Katsuya.

-.-.-.-.-

He didn't hear Hiroto's protest; he didn't even remember crossing the room. One minute he was staring through the doorway in confusion and then the next he was gazing down at the blond teenager asleep on a worn out mattress. Not just asleep, but looking as though he were trying to disappear from the world. Katsuya was pale, and the bit of his face that wasn't hidden in his arms showed that he had been crying earlier. At this moment, he looked almost… fragile. Something must have happened. Something aside from last night. Hiroto wouldn't have panicked so suddenly and practically beg for a ride here from the person he'd just threatened if it had only been that.

A flash of anger cut through the guilt he'd been feeling as he realized that someone else had hurt Katsuya. It was bad enough that Seto had been so harsh yesterday, but the thought of some other filthy human touching _his__puppy_ made his blood boil. Teeth clenched, Seto controlled his anger and instead gave in to the need to touch Katsuya, to make sure he really was okay. He reached down and slid his finger gently across the soft skin of Katsuya's one visible cheek; however, he was only given a second to feel relief before he was roughly pushed away. He was surprised as he stumbled back, and then he caught sight of the distrustful expression on Hiroto's face while the boy stood protectively over his friend.

"Don't you dare touch him. Haven't you done enough? Why are you even here?" Hiroto practically snarled before turning his back on Seto without waiting for an answer. Seto's hands clenched into fists but again he held his anger in check. This wasn't the time or place to start a fight. Instead he crossed his arms and tensely watched Hiroto lean over the blond. Once Katsuya woke up, he'd talk to him. Seto had no doubt that he could fix this if only he were given a chance to speak with Katsuya. The blond teen was too soft-hearted, he would have to listen.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Jou, hey… C'mon Jou, time to get up."

The voice penetrated the darkness and disturbed his peaceful sleep. He was slowly becoming aware of himself again and for a moment he tried to fight it. He didn't want to wake up, he didn't want to face the memories that consciousness would bring. The voice persisted, however, and he felt a hand on his shoulder begin to gently shake him. There was no helping it then.

He groaned softly and cracked open his eyes. Turning his head a little, he was able to make out the person hovering over him. "Hon'? Wha-?" Was he at Hiroto's place again? Maybe coming home to an empty apartment had only been a dream. Maybe…

"Hey," Hiroto greeted him with a worried half-smile. Uh-oh… the brunette had that look on his face. It wasn't a dream then. Somehow Hiroto had found out and had come to rescue him… as usual. "Are you alright?"

Alright? Katsuya frowned and thought it over. Was he? "No," he answered truthfully. "Honda… I… I don't know what to do." His voice cracked and suddenly he was clinging to Hiroto who hugged him back, holding Katsuya securely against him. "Shit! He l-left me too… What am I gonna do? I… I c-can't…" He was trembling but he wasn't crying. He'd already shed enough tears over the old man.

"I know, I'm sorry," Hiroto said, running a hand up to the back of Katsuya's head. "You still have your friends, you're not alone. We'll figure something out, Jou, I promise."

I'm not alone. Not alone. Katsuya close his eyes and silently repeated the comforting words to himself. Not alone. "Ho-Honda, I don't know what t'do 'bout this… What should I… He's gone. He just…"

"You're coming home with me." Hiroto's tone brooked no argument, but Katsuya still shook his head.

"I can't. Your parents…"

"Please, just for now. They won't be home until the day after tomorrow, and I know they'll understand. You need time in a safe place to calm down and work out what to do next, at the very least."

He had a point. Katsuya really did not want to stay here alone for even a few more hours. He'd be safe at Hiroto's and would hopefully be able to come up with some kind of plan once his head cleared. "Okay… fine," he said, giving in reluctantly. "But I can't stay with ya forever."

"You could stay with me," a deeper voice that definitely did not belong to Hiroto cut in. It was so unexpected that Katsuya immediately froze and almost stopped breathing at the sudden intrusion. He _had_ to have imagined it. _He_ couldn't possibly be _here_!

"He's _not_ going back with _you_," growled Hiroto.

No. No… Oh shit. Katsuya almost whimpered. He couldn't look. Seto was here, in this cleared out apartment, watching every step of Katsuya's break down. It was mortifying; no, beyond mortifying! He wanted to die just at the thought.

"His belongings are at my home, anyway. I have more than enough room."

What the hell was going on? Why was Seto here anyway? "Honda?" Katsuya questioned, looking up at Hiroto nervously. He was trying hard to understand what Kaiba Seto of all people was doing here in his apartment. Seto wasn't supposed to be here. He was _supposed_ to be back at Kaiba Corp trying to fix whatever the article had done to his business and cursing the day he'd ever met Katsuya.

Hiroto glanced back at him with an almost guilty expression. "Er, sorry… I needed a ride here and he was, uh, already at my place so… But I don't know why the bastard followed me up! Get lost Kaiba," he added menacingly to the other brunette.

He didn't understand. Seto had made it very clear that he blamed Katsuya for the news article about their 'relationship.' He'd also made it clear that he wanted nothing more to do with Katsuya now that they were separated. He remained silent, trying to straighten the situation out in his mind while Hiroto and Seto continued to bicker over his head. No matter how he looked at it, the image of Seto coldly walking out on him was always in the forefront of his mind. It confused him – Seto saying 'I love you' one moment, and then telling him to fuck off the next – it didn't make sense. It just wasn't logical unless…

Katsuya's eyes widened and he jerked away from Hiroto to finally stare up at the towering CEO. He was almost surprised to find that Seto appeared no different even now. He was still has tall and handsome and… and… Katsuya swallowed the lump in his throat and forced himself to stand and face the one who'd tossed him aside after _everything_. He ignored Hiroto who'd noticed Katsuya's strange behavior. With his heart pounding painfully, wishing he'd never, ever met Kaiba Seto, Katsuya managed to softly ask, "You only said it to get rid of the leash, didn't you?" Seto was a genius; it would have been easy for him to figure out how to break the spell.

Seto's glare disappeared in an instant. He blinked and, much to Katsuya's dismay, suddenly looked guilty. "No, Jounouchi, I – "

"You did!" Katsuya exclaimed, shaking his head in denial at the same time. He couldn't believe this. He didn't _want _to believe it, but it was the only thing that fit. Why else would've Seto acted so strangely? "Y-you… Why would ya do that? Why…? I… I thought…" He'd thought Seto really loved him. Katsuya had trusted him, had trusted those three important words. It hurt, oh god it hurt. How could Seto do this to him? "Why're ya here?" He asked brokenly, looking away because he couldn't stand seeing Seto's freezing blue eyes any longer.

"Jounouchi…"

"WHY?!" To gloat? To laugh at poor, gullible Katsuya for believing those lies? Tears filled his eyes and he had to turn his back to Seto to be saved from humiliating himself even more. He couldn't let Seto see him cry over this. He couldn't give him the satisfaction.

"I… I came to talk. I wanted to…" Seto trailed off upon hearing Katsuya's short, bitter laugh.

"Talk. Yeah right. Get outta my apartment, asshole." Shit, he _was_ going to cry. "I don't wanna see ya ever again. J-just fuck off. Stay the fuck away from me." He purposely threw Seto's own words back at him.

"No, I will not. I need – "

"Do you think I fuckin' care what ya need?! Y-you bastard! Fine!" If Seto wouldn't leave until he was satisfied that he'd broken Katsuya, then fine! It wasn't like Katsuya had any pride left to hold on to anyway. He turned around and let Seto see the tears running down his face. Allowed the other to see his shame and misery and pain. "Fine!" He repeated furiously, his body shaking. "Ya hurt me, okay?! You f-fuckin' made me fall in l-love with ya and then ya did the most horrible thing anyone's ever done ta me! You win, okay? You fuckin' win so you can go home and be fucking proud of yourself for it. So just _leave_ me _alone now!_"

As he stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him, he realized that it really was over. No more following Seto around or hanging out at Kaiba Corp while trying to wheedle the hard-working CEO into taking half a day off to go to the park. No more sharing limo rides and desks at school, or playing video games with Mokuba until Seto set aside his work and joined them. No more sharing the bed… no more sharing the comforting warmth of another body that somehow chased away the nightmares. He would miss Seto's warmth most of all.

Katsuya entered the other bedroom which still smelt of his father's cigarettes and cheap cologne. It only reminded him that Seto wasn't the only one to leave him behind in the last twenty four hours. He avoided the dirty bed and instead sat down in a corner. Shaking and sobbing, hoping desperately that Seto would just leave now, he waited for Hiroto to find him.

'I'm not alone. I'm not alone… Honda, Yuug', Anzu… Oh god, I don't want to be alone…'

-.-.-.-.-.-

To Be Continued…

_**The Last Straw: **__The last in a series of grievances or burdens that finally exceeds the limits of endurance. It comes from an old expression, "the straw that broke the camel's back."_

(A/N) Oh dear, we're left with an angsting Jou once again, haha! Don't worry, next chapter will have more of Seto in it (including Mokuba's reaction and a _plan_, dun dun dun). I'm not sure that I'm quite satisfied with this chapter, but I didn't want to leave you hanging for another few months like last time, so I hope you enjoyed it. And I really can't thank you all enough for those wonderful reviews! Seriously, the best ever. :-)


	16. Back to the Drawing Board

**Warnings**: shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, etc...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU

**Pairings**: Seto/Jou; Honda/Otogi;

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas.

-.-.-.-.-.-

**Inescapable You**

Chapter 16: Back to the Drawing Board

Heading back to the mansion, Seto sat in the back of his limousine feeling entirely numb. His thoughts were on Katsuya and what the blond had screamed at him before running off. It seemed that things between them were not going to be fixed as easily as Seto had hoped. Not that he blamed Katsuya for distrusting him; especially since Seto's original intentions hadn't been so pure when he'd planned to let Katsuya know how he felt about him. Getting rid of the leash _had_ been the number one priority… at least until Seto had been able to admit to himself that he didn't really want Katsuya out of his life after the spell broke. It was too late to explain that now, however. Katsuya refused to give him a chance to (like he'd refused to give Katsuya a chance last night after the phone call. Karma, he supposed). He knew he deserved Katsuya's anger, but it was still painful. If only he hadn't walked out on him yesterday; if only he'd waited and been able to control his released emotions a bit better.

_What if… What if…_ Seto shook his head and smirked bitterly. Since when was he one to dwell on past choices that he couldn't change? It wasn't going to repair the damage that'd already been done. Instead he should be thinking about the future, about what his next move would be. He had two choices as of now. He could either find a way to convince Katsuya that his feelings were true and hopefully mend their barely begun relationship, or he could put all of this out of his mind and continue on with Kaiba Corp and Mokuba as though nothing had changed. His first instinct was to go with the latter. It would be the easiest (not that that usually played a factor into his way of life), but also it would allow him to go on with the least amount of damage to himself, his company and his lifestyle. It was the obvious choice and the safest.

Seto frowned down at his lap, hating that it was Gozaburo's influence that made him hesitate like this. A normal person, he knew, would prefer friendship and love over being alone for the rest of his life, even if it meant having all the money and power he could ever desire. What good were riches and power if there was nobody there to appreciate it with him or to share it with? Is love really a weakness, then? Yugi had many friends, he was constantly surrounded by them and loved by them, and yet he was the strongest person Seto had ever dealt with, while dueling or otherwise. That couldn't be just a coincidence. Gozaburo _had_ to be wrong.

The limo pulled up to the entrance of the Kaiba home, and Seto gracefully stepped out while the chauffeur held the car door open for him. He slowly walked up the front steps to the door, still pondering his dilemma. Katsuya always made everything so difficult. With a sigh, Seto reached for the door handle, only to have it pulled from his grasp as it was opened from the inside. He fell back a step when his little brother threw himself at Seto's waist and glomped him thoroughly.

"'Niisama! Where'd you go? You were gone when I woke up and you didn't answer your cell. What happened? Did you talk to the press? Where's Jou? He's not with you?"

Seto couldn't help but smile as Mokuba shot question after question at him. His brother had been worried about him, he could tell. Belatedly, he realized that he must have turned off his cellphone after speaking with Yami to give himself some time to think without interruptions. When Mokuba paused for a breath, Seto smoothly cut in to reassure him. "I'm fine. I went to check on a few things, but I won't be speaking with the press until the conference is set up. Jounouchi is…" He hesitated, unsure if this was something he should bother Mokuba with. The boy would probably be upset if he knew about the situation. "The collars came off. We're not attached anymore, so he left." Not a lie, but not the whole truth either. He preferred to protect Mokuba, but he would never lie to him.

Mokuba went quiet for a moment. When he looked up, Seto could tell his brother wasn't going to accept such a simple explanation. "Seto… He just left? He'll come back to visit us though, right? You're friends now, I thought."

"I…" Seto looked away with a sigh, knowing he would have to explain. But it still hurt inside too much right now, and he still wasn't sure what to do next. He glanced down again. Mokuba's wide, concerned grey-blue eyes held him. His younger brother was troubled by Seto's silence and was too intelligent to just let it go. "Let's go in. I'll explain what happened." They were family, after all, and they had to be honest with each other since they were all they had. Seto decided it was better to just get it over with now. Mokuba would have badgered it out of him eventually, anyway.

They walked in and went to the closest sitting room where they sat down together on the sofa in front of the unlit fireplace. Without further delay, Seto related everything that'd happened beginning when he and Katsuya had left the party last night. He left nothing out, but kept it simple with as detached a tone as possible. Mokuba patiently listened without interrupting, but Seto avoided eye contact when he came to the part where Mokuba had phoned him with news about that article and Seto had ended up shoving Katsuya away and walking out without even checking to make sure the blond was following. Ashamed, he quickly described the phone call to Yami this morning and his trip to Hiroto's and then Katsuya's. At the end of it all, he stopped speaking and waited for his brother's judgment. Mokuba's opinion had always meant much to him, in fact it was the only opinion he'd ever cared for, and now he was afraid his brother would hate him for this.

"'Niisama… " Mokuba's voice trembled very slightly. Seto had closed his eyes while he waited, but he opened them again in surprise when he felt his brother's hand grasp his own. "Are you okay?"

It was an unexpected question. He'd thought Mokuba would yell at him for ruining everything, but instead the response was soft and filled with worry. Catching Mokuba's gaze again, Seto let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding until then and said, "I don't know. Are you not upset by what I've told you?"

Mokuba shrugged and leaned against Seto's shoulder. "A little disappointed, but I'm more worried about you right now."

"Why?" Seto asked, a bit confused by this odd statement. "I hurt Jounouchi. It was my fault for pushing him away. Shouldn't you be worried about him, instead?"

"Well, he's my friend so of course I'm worried about him. But you're my brother, which means you're more important to me," explained Mokuba with a cheesy grin. "So first of all, I still love you. I wouldn't have expected you to react any differently in that situation anyway, 'cause you're so hopeless when it comes to dealing with other people's emotions."

"Gee, thanks," Seto cut in wryly. He really was grateful to know Mokuba was still on his side, though.

Mokuba continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "So you made a mistake. Everyone does once in awhile. Of course Katsuya's upset with you, but I'm sure he'll get over it if you approach him the right way. It's not like you can't fix this, right?"

Seto winced when Mokuba looked up at him expectantly. Of course he could, somehow, but did he want to? Did he want to go through that emotional distress again? Katsuya only brought chaos to his life, so maybe it was better this way. They could go their separate ways and be that much happier for it. Not that Seto could remember ever being actually happy until recently, when he'd gained Katsuya's friendship and trust.

Looking more concerned than before, Mokuba crinkled his forehead and tugged on Seto's hand. "You _are_ going to fix it, aren't you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Ah… perhaps," said Seto evasively. It wasn't like this was something that would be so easily resolved anyway. Making such a promise would be foolish.

But Mokuba was not happy with this non-response. "_'Niisama!_" He admonished sharply. He jumped to his feet and stood facing Seto with his hands on his hips, looking angry for the first time today. "What do you mean by _perhaps_?!"

"Well, I – "

"You_like_ him, don't you?"

"Yes, but –"

"And you're upset that he left, _right?_"

"Maybe, but –"

"And you even _kissed_ him, didn't you?"

"What?! How did you –"

"Then there's no _perhaps_ about it! You _are_ going to make up with him, because if you don't, you're going to be lonely, regretful and bitter for the rest of your life. I don't want that for you, Seto, and I don't think you do either."

Seto close his mouth against another protest and instead just stared back at his brother. Was that the reason it hurt so much to think about cutting all ties with Katsuya? Because it would be lonely? Even though Seto had been fine all his life without anyone more than Mokuba at his side, he'd finally had a taste of what it would be like with someone else in his home and heart, and he was reluctant to lose that again. It felt too empty for that now. With Katsuya around, he'd enjoyed life a bit more. Katsuya had shared his secrets with Seto and listened sympathetically to Seto's own. The openhearted blond had brought more smiles to Seto's face and had filled his days with more than just monotonous work and meetings. Somehow, Seto had grown to need Katsuya with him and he was a little afraid to go back to the way things were before the leash had forced them together.

"Mokuba, I do want him back." He swallowed hard as he realized he'd just admitted his weakness out loud. Bravely, he continued on, ignoring the faint echo of Gozaburo's poisonous rebuke in the back of his mind. "I do, but I believe he hates me right now. He may never forgive me."

Sitting back down, Mokuba hugged his brother from the side. "Yes, he will. You just have to give him a very good reason to want to forgive you."

"You didn't see how upset he was. It was… terrible. This won't be easy." Seto slid an arm around his brother's back and squeezed him, feeling better with the other's reassuring closeness.

"Yeah, but nothing ever is. I've never seen you back down from something just because it was difficult. You're strong and smart; I know you can do this if you really put your mind to it."

Seto smiled, realizing that Mokuba was right. Katsuya's hurt and anger were going to be hard to overcome, but that had never stopped him before. He wouldn't be where he was today if he'd only stuck to the easy path. This was just a minor setback until he came up with a plan to win Katsuya over once again. His smile turned into its familiar competitive smirk. Katsuya was _his_ and nothing could stop him from getting his own back. He'd finally made his choice. "Alright, Mokuba, I'll need your help. If we put our heads together, we should be able to come up with a plan that will give Katsuya no choice but to forgive me and return back to us."

-.-.-.-.-.-

Yami Bakura answered on the third ring. "You better have a good reason for calling," he growled, balancing the cell phone between his shoulder and ear. His hands were busy with a game controller, thumbs smashing the buttons rapidly. On the TV screen his character narrowly escaped a beheading and was quick to retaliate.

"_Sorry, but, um, we could use some help here."_

"Hah! Take that!" He grinned viciously as he switched to the machine gun he'd found earlier and filled his opponent full of holes. Blood sprayed from the wounds and, beside him, Malik cursed. Bakura loved Malik's video games – they were always full of blood and gore. Delicious. If only real life could be so fun. Victory ensured, he turned his attention back to the caller. "When _haven't_ you and your weak friends needed help? I've been saying so for years."

"Is that Ryou? Tell him I'm coming home with you for dinner tonight," said Malik, who'd paused the game and was standing up. "You wanna drink?"

"Yeah. Whatever you're having. Hey, yadonushi, Malik's coming over."

"_Bakura! Listen! I… Ow! Watch where y…"_

When Ryou's voice faded away, Bakura finally sat up straight. Agitated, he shouted into the phone, "Yadonushi? Hey, Ryou!" What the hell was going on? He hadn't taken Ryou seriously until he'd heard his other half's cry of pain. If something had happened to Ryou, someone was going to pay dearly for it. "Ryou! Where are you, dammit?!"

"_Ah, sorry, I'm still here."_ Bakura allowed himself to relax a little when Ryou's reassuring voice came back on the line. His other half didn't sound terrified, so whatever was happening couldn't be life threatening at least. _"There's a lot of reporters here. They're not budging and it's all me and Yugi can do to keep Jou from panicking. Maybe you could get us out of here?"_

"Reporters?" Bakura frowned as he slowly climbed to his feet. "Where are you?"

"_We're near the mall, a couple of blocks south. Yugi thought that we could cheer Jounouchi up by taking him shopping, but some reporters recognized Jou from the picture in the newspaper an__d now they won't leave us alone. Oh! Yugi don't talk to them…"_

"Ryou?! Shit." Cell still pressed against his ear, Bakura headed for the front door, calling for Malik on his way. The Egyptian boy popped his head out of the kitchen doorway with a questioning look. "C'mon, we're gonna go save those damn brats. Ryou! Are you there?"

"Huh?" Although confused, Malik didn't hesitate to follow. He knew that when Bakura had _that_ look on his face, there was bound to be some fun happening soon.

"_Bakura?"_

"Stop doing that," commanded Bakura, becoming annoyed with the way Ryou kept getting distracted from their conversation. "Listen, I'll be there in a few minutes. If any of those damn people try to touch you, don't be a baby about it, just smack the hell out of them, got it?"

"_Yeah, sure. And remember, Bakura, no hurting or killing. You're only allowed to scare them a little if it's needed to get us out, okay?"_

"Aw, you ruin all my fun," he replied sarcastically, and then snapped the cell shut. By now he was outside leaning against his motorcycle on the street in front of the Ishtars' home. Watching him quizzically, Malik stood on the driveway, waiting for more information as to where they were headed. Bakura swung one long leg over the seat of his motorcycle and beckoned to him. "Let's go, hop on behind me."

Malik crossed his arms and blinked in surprise. "But I've got my own bike right here." He pointed to a slightly smaller purple and black motorcycle parked on his driveway.

He could be so oblivious sometimes, Bakura thought with a mental sigh. Leaning forward on the handlebars, he gazed at the beautiful golden-haired teen and put on his best leer. "I want to feel your sexy body pressed up against me and your arms wrapped tightly around my sides. So get your pretty ass over here."

"Pervert," Malik muttered, but he was smiling and after only a few seconds of hesitation, he strode over to where Bakura was waiting.

Bakura watched the teen's slim hips appreciatively as they swayed slightly with each step, and when the other was close enough, he reached out and wrapped an arm around Malik to pull him right up against the bike. "Fuck, you're so sexy." He leaned down and brought their mouths together in a hungry kiss. He loved the feeling of the Egyptian's wet tongue and velvety smooth lips against his mouth, and how Malik would fight for dominance at first but soon settle down and submit. Somehow, it was even better than blood and stealing. Now he allowed the kiss to end, but kept the other close for a moment, taking pleasure in those intense violet eyes that didn't waver from his gaze.

Having spent his entire childhood underground in the darkness, guarding the pharaoh's tomb, often abused by an uncaring father, Malik could be naïve about many aspects of the civilized world, especially when it came to relationships. Often, although less so these days, he'd worry that it was impossible for him to be accepted by people who had grown up in light and freedom. Bakura's childhood too had been full of darkness, pain and hatred. Even after being confined to the Millennium Ring for what had felt like an eternity, he could still recall the unpleasantness of his youth. It was something they held in common and partly what attracted them to each other. However, while Malik had been trapped in a cave with no outlet for his anger and frustration, Bakura'd been taken in by a pack of thieves who taught him their arts, which allowed him to have his revenge on those who'd wronged him as a child. The lonely tomb keeper, on the other hand, had been forced to develop a second Self in order to find escape. An insane Self that hungered only for blood and violence. Thus he'd been maddened by blind hate against those he felt responsible for his pain, and he'd sought desperately to hurt them back. Then his Other Self had been destroyed by the Pharaoh, leaving Malik in despair over his evil actions and less confident about himself. Incredibly, however, traces of his Other Self's personality still surfaced from time to time, so that the Egyptian was not a pathetic little angel like Ryou or Yugi, but could be crude and mischievous and _fun_. Bakura found himself inexplicably drawn to Malik both because of the teen's wickedness as well as his uncertainty and naivety. It was a new experience – the desire to be around someone as much as possible. Normally, he couldn't stand humans. People were stupid, unreliable and too fragile for his taste. But Malik… he was different somehow.

"I thought we were going to find Ryou?" Malik broke the odd staring contest, looking puzzled by the silence.

The tomb robber smirked, then chuckled. He was sure that Malik had no idea how strongly Bakura felt for him, but it was a secret that the ancient spirit planned never to reveal. If anyone found out that he actually_needed_ Malik, he'd be left in a weak position and that was something he absolutely could not allow. It was safer for Malik to think that Bakura only put up with him because he enjoyed a partner in crime and in bed.

He leaned out again and nipped at the Egyptian's neck, relishing the taste of salt and something pleasantly unique. "We sure are," he said, pulling back and patting the seat behind him. "So get yourself up here."

Obediently, the violet-eyed teen slid onto the seat behind Bakura. He slipped his arms around the spirit's torso and pulled himself snug against him. "Like this?"

"Oh yeah," moaned Bakura approvingly. He could feel Malik's crotch pressing into him. "Just like that. Hang on tight." He turned the key and the bike came to life beneath them. The vibrations from the motor shot through him and created a delicious friction between them. Malik shifted against him and Bakura, feeling every movement, groaned softly. "And sit still. You're making me horny, dammit."

"You're the one who told me to sit here," Malik reminded him close to his ear, his breath tickling the skin.

"Shit." Bakura kicked the stand up and put the bike into gear. He forced his mind away from Malik so that he could pay more attention to the road and hopefully not get them killed along the way. It didn't help one bit that at every red light Malik would sneakily do something that'd set Bakura's blood racing again. He'd nip the back of Bakura's neck, or teasingly slide a hand up his shirt, or rock his hips against Bakura's until Bakura thought he'd go mad with need. He was tempted more than once to pull the bike to the side of the road, throw Malik into an empty alleyway and fuck him so hard he'd have trouble walking for days. Fuckin' tease.

However, when they finally turned the last corner and saw the commotion with Ryou and his two friends at the center of it all, the rage that filled Bakura caused him to forget all about his own predicament. There were eight adults surrounding the three teens who had put their backs to the wall of a building. The people were shouting questions, each trying to talk over the others, and shoving microphones or tape recorders at the silent boys. Ryou, the only one Bakura cared about, looked worried and stressed. Both he and Yugi were alternating between glaring at the reporters and looking up with concern at the third teen, Katsuya. The blond appeared extremely pale, even from where Bakura was sitting, and was staring stonily at the ground.

"What the hell?" Malik hadn't been expecting this since Bakura hadn't explained the reason why Ryou had phoned him.

Bakura hopped off the bike and strode towards the crowd with a grim expression on his face. Behind him, Malik scrambled to follow. Ryou saw them as they neared the crowd and smiled with relief. The reporters remained oblivious until some of them were shoved aside when Bakura roughly bullied his way through. "Check that Ryou's okay," he told Malik over his shoulder. "I'll get rid of these fuckers." The Egyptian nodded and hurried past him while Bakura, now within the semi-circle, turned to face the adults who were startled into momentary silence by the look on his face.

He stared back at them lazily through half-lidded eyes and grinned wide enough to show his abnormally sharp canines. "Just what do you asswipes think you're doing harassing Ryou, hm? Did you think you'd get away with it?" The people shifted awkwardly and glanced at one another, made uneasy by this confrontation. Even they could see that this strange teenager was someone not to take lightly. "Normally, I'd make you bleed first. Tear out your prying tongues maybe, or slice off your fingers one by one to keep you from holding those annoying recorders. But, lucky for you, Ryou's here to protect you, at least for now. If I were you, though, I'd turn the fuck around and run before even he loses patience with you, because if he does, he may allow me to have my way with you." His gaze didn't waver and his voice remained low and cruel. By now, the crowd had gone completely silent and very pale. They could not doubt that this unusually frightening boy would happily follow through with his threat if he wanted to.

"Well?" he said softly when they still didn't move. "Aren't you going to leave?" He took a sudden step forward, a hungry look on his face. Many of the adults turned and ran right then. "Or will I have to make you bleed?" A few more bolted. "Fuck off!!" he barked, and the remaining few were suddenly gone. Bakura watched them until he was sure they wouldn't return and then turned around and stalked back to the other teens huddled against the brick building.

"Thanks, Bakura," said Ryou gratefully as the white-haired spirit approached them. "They were pretty desperate for information from Jounouchi. I guess Kaiba's been keeping them in the dark so far about whatever happened between them."

"You could've at least let me cut them up a bit," was all Bakura muttered, stopping beside Malik. He glanced at Yugi and Katsuya. The Pharaoh's brat was trying to talk to the blond, but Katsuya was still blocking out the world. Bakura snorted, and then asked, "What did you mean about Kaiba?"

Ryou stared at him in surprise. "I told you the other day, they broke your spell. The leash came off."

"Yeah, no shit. Thanks for the bloody reminder." Bakura scowled and shot Malik a dirty look. "Next time you think up a trick like that, make sure we don't actually end up _helping_ people, dumbass."

"Shut up. You agreed to it quickly enough, shithead," Malik retorted with a glare.

"Whatever. Anyway, yadonushi, how does that have anything to do with what happened here?"

Rolling his eyes at their bickering, Ryou explained about the article in the paper and the sudden rift that'd sprung up between Katsuya and Seto. "I don't know exactly what happened, but Jou refuses to talk about Kaiba at all and apparently reporters are hunting for any scrap of news they can find about their supposed relationship."

"Ha! So they screwed it up after all!" Bakura laughed and would have begun gloating except for Malik's sudden grip on his arm. He looked sharply at the Egyptian and was startled by the horrified expression. "Malik? What are you…"

"I didn't think _this_ would happen!" Malik trembled slightly and looked a little sick. He was staring wide-eyed at Katsuya. "I didn't mean for this! I just thought… You and Kaiba… you'd fight a little a-and… that's all. I didn't mean for it to get out to the news or… or for you to get hurt like that! Honest, Jou, I'm sorry, I…" He reached out to touch Katsuya's arm, but the other blond flinched away and finally lifted his gaze to glare at Malik.

"Fuck off," was all he said before stalking away. Yugi gave them an apologetic look and ran after Katsuya. Malik looked stricken by the rejection.

With a curse, Bakura shoved his confusion aside and slid his arm around Malik's back. He glanced at Ryou. "Hey, go catch up with Yugi and that fleabag."

"Are you sure? I could help, if you want." Ryou looked at them in concern.

"No, we're fine. Go on."

Ryou nodded reluctantly and trotted off to find the others. Once his other half was out of sight, Bakura turned to Malik who looked thoroughly depressed. "You didn't hurt anybody."

"Yes I did. I hurt Jou and Kaiba." Malik whispered, his face lowered so that his bangs hid his eyes.

It was a good thing he liked Malik so much. Anybody else who acted like this, Bakura would have smacked them hard and walked away. Instead, with a quiet grumble, he took hold of the other's shoulders and held him out at arm's length so that they were facing each other. "Hey, sexy, look at me." After a moment, Malik did so, but very reluctantly. His eyes were suspiciously watery. "You didn't hurt them, okay? Accidents happen. We were nowhere near them at the time it happened and we sure as hell had nothing to do with that article."

"But if I hadn't thought of putting that leash on them in the first place, none of this would've happened," Malik said miserably.

"For fuck's sake, how do you know that? Even if you hadn't done that, there are still a million ways for them to get hurt. The media might've _still_ made something up about them, the way they're always going at each other!"

"Yeah, well, _Jounouchi_ won't see it like that!" cried the violet-eyed teen, yanking himself from the other's grip. "They already hate me, and now they have another reason to!"

"Hate you?!" Bakura stepped closer, his anger starting to grow. What the hell was wrong with Malik? He was starting to get on his nerves. "Where the fuck did you get that idea? Since when've they hated you? You're such a fucking spaz!"

"Shut up! Like you'd get it. You have Ryou, and Yugi has his yami, and the others all have their friends, but I… I d-don't have – "

"You have me!" Bakura shouted, cutting off the other's speech of self-pity.

Malik went still. "You?"

"What, I'm not enough?" He stalked closer and grabbed Malik again. The other teen didn't try to fight him off. Instead he allowed himself to be jerked into a furious, painful kiss. Bakura ravaged the other's mouth, pouring all of his frustration into it as he used both tongue and teeth to suck and nip and bite and soothe. By the time he was through, Malik's lips were swollen and cut in two places and he was too dazed to move, much less argue anymore. "You have me," Bakura repeated, making sure his point got across.

After a moment, Malik licked his lips and narrowed his eyes at Bakura. "But you only care about yourself. You only put up with me 'cause I'm a good fuck."

Bakura shrugged and leaned in to nibble at his ear. "Maybe, maybe not," he muttered, tugging at the lobe of Malik's delicious little ear.

Malik moaned softly but continued. "And you need help with your crimes."

"Perhaps." He moved to the other ear, licking the skin thoroughly.

"A-and you're just a pervert."

"Mm-hm."

"And you're too unreliable. You… you might disappear one day."

Bakura pulled back with a smirk. "Ah, well, that's one thing I can promise won't happen. You're stuck with me forever, babe."

This seemed to please Malik a lot. He smiled. "Ok, I'll hold you to that. Now let's go home and fuck."

"Thank the gods, I thought you'd never say it!" Bakura grinned and snatched up Malik's hand, racing to the motorbike. The Egyptian teen laughed as he was eagerly lifted on to the seat before Bakura hopped on in front. "Hold me tight. Really tight. Get me all hot and bothered like you did on the way here." Malik was only too happy to oblige.

As he rode home, he allowed himself a satisfied smirk. Malik was a lot of fun, sexy as hell, and beautifully corrupt. But there was also a light in him that for some reason attracted Bakura like a moth to a flame. Sometimes, that light could cause Malik to doubt himself, but when it happened, Bakura took pride in the fact that only he could bring the teen out of it. It took skill and patience, but in the end, Bakura was always successful. And of course, in the end, Malik always wanted to fuck. Two birds with one stone, baby.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Yugi wasn't sure why he was here standing in front of the large iron gate that was the entrance to the Kaibas' mansion. The gate was closed, but there was a speaker and button to the side. All he had to do was push that button to accept the invitation and be admitted; however, he hesitated to do so. He knew he shouldn't have come. It felt too much like betrayal. If Katsuya ever found out…

'But what if this will help him?' Yugi thought, frowning worriedly at the gate. The last few days had been very difficult for everyone who was close to Katsuya. The blond duelist was having a hard time dealing with both Seto's rejection and the disappearance of his father. For the most part, he'd become moody and unsociable, content to hide out in Hiroto's bedroom for the majority of his time. It had taken a lot of effort on Ryou's and Yugi's part just to drag him outside to the mall the other day. Of course, that had turned out to be a big disaster, and only caused Katsuya to become even more withdrawn.

Yugi wanted to help his friend so badly, but he was at a loss. He realized that there was just too much pain in Katsuya for him alone to handle. The blond, who wore his heart on his sleeve, had been hurt too many times in the past. Even Yugi, who hadn't known him as long as some of the others, could see that. Every time Katsuya had been emotionally wounded by another, it caused his heart to crack a little more. By now the cracks must be many and deep, and Yugi was afraid that any more would cause it to break altogether. If that happened, Katsuya would never be the same again. For this reason, Yugi was willing to meet with the enemy, Kaiba Seto, who'd tricked Katsuya and then, once the spell was broken, cruelly turned is back on him. At least that was the story as Katsuya saw it. Yugi, on the other hand, still held on to the desperate hope that Seto hadn't meant to do what he did. Yami had told Yugi about the conversation he'd had with Seto, and it seemed to him that Seto really did like Katsuya but there'd been that awful news story and everything had become confused. Of course, that alone might not have been enough to bring Yugi to talk to Seto, but yesterday Yami had pointed out something even more important. On their way home from the mall, Ryou, Yugi and Katsuya had been surrounded by reporters who were desperate for some dirt on the Kaiba Corp CEO. The blond, who'd practically been Seto's shadow for the last couple of months, could've easily exposed details about the CEO's personal life and more, thereby giving the reporters enough information to at least put a good sized dent in Seto's reputation. There couldn't have been a more perfect opportunity for revenge… but for some reason, Katsuya hadn't taken it. Yugi had a sneaking suspicion that Katsuya's feelings for the blue-eyed duelist went beyond mere physical attraction, and still hadn't abated even after everything that'd happened recently.

With new determination, he reached out his finger and firmly pushed the intercom button. If there was even the smallest chance of fixing things and making Katsuya happy again, Yugi was not going to miss it.

Mokuba's cheerful voice came through the speaker instantly. _"Hey, Yugi! I was wondering how long you were going to stand there! Come on in."_

The short teen blushed at the realization that there must be a camera pointed at him. Slowly the gate opened and Yugi stepped through. It didn't take long to reach the mansion, and the front door opened as he walked up to it. Mokuba eagerly urged him to enter. "I'm glad you came. I was worried that you'd change your mind."

"No, I was… um, just thinking. Where's Kaiba-kun?" Yugi glanced around the foyer while he slipped his shoes off. He was always amazed by the size of the mansion.

The younger Kaiba led him through the hallways while he explained the situation. "'Niisama's at the office right now. There's a press conference coming up and he's been working day and night on what he's going to say. Is it alright with you if I talk to you in his stead?"

"Yeah, sure," agreed Yugi, a little surprised by the question. But then again, he knew that Seto trusted Mokuba more than anyone else. "Is the conference about that recent news story?"

"Mmhm. Stupid thing messed everything up." Mokuba sighed as he sat down on a chair in the sitting room, giving Yugi the sofa. Once they were settled, the younger boy's expression suddenly became serious. He leaned forward in his seat, blue-grey eyes assessing Yugi in a way that reminded him eerily of Seto. "How is Jounouchi doing?"

"Uh, he's…" Yugi shrugged uncomfortably, wondering how much he should give away. Katsuya would be very upset to be talked about behind his back like this, but at the same time Yugi didn't want to hold back if it would help his friend in the end. Guiltily, he decided it was better to tell the truth than risk wrecking any chance of repairing the situation. "He's still very depressed. He won't talk to us about it, but I think he blames himself for what happened. Honda-kun said he's not sleeping very well at night either."

Mokuba nodded once. "We thought it'd be like that. 'Niisama's not taking this well, either. He stays up most of the night working, which means he's distressed."

"But he's the one that walked out on Jounouchi!" Yugi blurted out. It was hard to believe that Seto could care _that_ much after hurting Katsuya so easily.

"Yeah, I know. My brother is… well, it's complicated." Frowning, Mokuba leaned back in his chair. He was silent for a moment, seeming to gather his courage before he spoke again. "Basically, he can't deal very well with his emotions. He's been taught that emotion makes a person weak and too easily manipulated. That's why this is all so difficult for him. He wants Jou, but at the same time he's terrified of his feelings."

Yugi wondered if Mokuba had permission to talk so freely about his brother's personal secrets, but he found himself nodding as he thought back to how Seto usually acted around people. It made sense. Slowly, he repeated, "He _wants_ Jou?"

"He's in love with Jou," Mokuba said bluntly, shocking Yugi. "He cares that he screwed up so badly, and he cares that Jou got hurt because of it. Seto never cares about others' feelings. He's in love."

"Oh," responded Yugi faintly. Now he was sure Seto had no idea how much Mokuba was revealing. But then it dawned on him that if what Mokuba said was true, then it was possible that Katsuya and Seto's relationship could be mended. Extremely difficult, but possible. "So, what's next then?" He'd worked out by now that Seto and Mokuba must have something up their sleeve if they'd called Yugi in, considering how much Seto hated asking Yugi for help of any kind.

Mokuba smiled widely. "I knew I could count on your help!" He jumped off his chair and joined Yugi on the sofa, leaning towards him with devious grin. Quickly he outlined the plan that he and Seto had come up with. It didn't take long to explain, and Yugi's part in it was simple but vitally important. It was up to him to make sure Katsuya would be in the right place at the right time.

As the boy spoke, Yugi began to smile with growing optimism. It could work. Of course, everything depended on Katsuya still having strong feelings for Seto, but from what Yugi could tell, it shouldn't be a problem. If all went according to plan, Katsuya would have no choice but to see the truth – that Kaiba Seto was willing to risk everything for him.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"What are you…" the rest of the sentence trailed off as his reaching hand met nothing but air. He froze, his fingers curling uncertainly where they had expected to feel the touch of a solid head and long, soft hair. Slowly, his gaze slid to the side and once again he felt the strange disorientation at finding no one there. He snatched his hand back and glared at the computer instead. The silence was overwhelming. It was leaden and made him horribly aware of being alone in the room. No irritated voice broke it to complain that Seto was working too hard again, or to whine that it was past lunch time, or to just chat aimlessly about useless things. Before he'd been forced to endure Katsuya at his side, Seto hadn't minded the silence. It'd allowed him to focus on work and Mokuba, which were all he'd cared about and all he'd needed. But now it felt… wrong. He'd become used to Katsuya's constant presence at his side. The puppy-like eyes, the dopey grin, and the warm touches – he missed them all. He actually missed that stupidly earnest, stubborn, soft-hearted, altruistic boy. Without him, Seto just felt…

Empty. Lonely. Helpless.

He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed them against the palms of his hands. He was almost sick with exhaustion, having been unable to endure more than a couple of hours of sleep each night. The nightmares were back and when he awoke, shaking and sweating, he always found himself reaching for the comforting warmth of another body that was no longer there. He would lie there alone in the dark for a while, ears straining to hear the sound of Katsuya's reassuring breaths but only finding that damned silence and memories of their last few moments together until he couldn't bear it any longer and would slip out of bed to return to his office and lose himself in work. The constant stress and lack of sleep were taking its toll on him, and he knew the only thing he could do to fix it was to try and get Katsuya back to him. All he desired now was Katsuya's forgiveness. If, in the end, Katsuya refused to give it, well… Perhaps he shouldn't dwell on that just yet.

The phone on his desk rang.

"Pup, could you… Shit!" His hand came down on the desk, palm striking the oak surface with a sharp 'smack.' "Jounouchi's not here! He's gone! He's not beside you anymore, damn it!" He whispered fiercely to himself, hoping it would stop him from making another stupid slipup. He didn't think it would help, thoug; not when he was this tired and stressed. God, he really needed sleep.

Taking a deep, slow breath to clear his mind a little, Seto finally reached over and snatched up the phone. "Kaiba."

"'Niisama, you're still at the office? When are you coming home?" Mokuba's worried voice came through the receiver.

He glanced at his watch and found it was nearing one o'clock in the morning. "I… have a lot of work to do still, Mokuba. I'm not sure when I'll be done." A lot of work, but nothing that couldn't wait until tomorrow for his employees to complete. The thought of going back to an empty bed and nightmares right now, however… He scowled and picked up his mug, gulping down another mouthful of dark, bitter coffee. When had he become so pathetic?

"… I know what you're doing, Seto. It's not healthy. You should come home, eat something and try to get some real sleep before you collapse," Mokuba scolded, sounding truly concerned.

"I don't know what you're talking about," muttered the CEO as he glared at the air in front of him. Mokuba was too perceptive for a younger brother. "Is there a reason you called aside from this useless attempt at a guilt-trip?" A little harsh. He winced, but couldn't take back his words.

"Strangely enough, yes, there is another reason. But if you don't want to hear what Yugi had to say when he arrived at _your_ invitation, then I'll just hang up now," said Mokuba bitingly, obviously hurt by Seto's careless words. "And thanks a lot for leaving me to make excuses for your absence," he darkly added.

Seto gritted his teeth against another sarcastic remark. Mokuba had every right to be upset with him and Seto knew he shouldn't be taking his stress out on his brother. Rubbing his temple with his free hand in an attempt to ease the building headache, he apologized to Mokuba and calmly asked about Yugi's visit.

"Well, he agreed to help us. He seemed worried about Jounouchi."

At the mention of the blond's name, his mind once again brought to the forefront the memory of the last time he'd seen Katsuya. The tearful, distressed brown eyes; the betrayed expression as he accused Seto of tricking him; the hurtful words pouring from his beautiful, soft lips, which were almost white with emotion at the time – it all just made his head (and perhaps his heart) throb even more.

"How…" His throat felt too tight to allow him to ask what he desperately wanted to know, but Mokuba somehow understood anyway.

"Yugi told me that Jounouchi's still pretty miserable, but he's hanging on. He's still at Honda's place," Mokuba informed him. "Oh, and you should know that he was attacked by some reporters near the mall the other day. Apparently they're getting restless since you've refused them any statements so far."

Seto cursed when he realized it hadn't even entered his mind that the press might go after Katsuya for information about their supposed relationship. "Don't worry, I'll take care of the press." If only he could deal with Katsuya as easily. What if their plan was for nothing? If Katsuya truly hated him now, then there would be nothing Seto could do or say that would change him mind.

'But I have to try. I won't give up so soon.' His grip on the phone tightened as he reinforced his motivation. At the very least, he had to make Katsuya see that he had not meant for things to turn out this way.

"Are you coming back now?" Mokuba asked tentatively. "If you keep going like you are, you'll make mistakes when the time comes to face Jounouchi. You might ruin everything with just one slip of the tongue."

He wanted to argue, but he knew Mokuba was right. If he didn't get some rest, his mind wouldn't be as razor sharp as he needed it to be. It would be a disaster if he ended up losing his temper on that day due to stress and fatigue. With a reluctant scowl, he stood up and hit the power button on his computer. "Fine. I'll be there in twenty minutes, then. Go to bed." With that he hung up and grabbed is trench coat off the back of the chair, preparing for the short trip back to the mansion.

All was dark and quiet when he arrived there. He hesitated in the entranceway, even now half expecting to hear Katsuya's sleepy voice invading the peace with tired monologue. Shaking the sour feeling away, Seto quickly made his way to the bedroom. All too soon he was under the covers and staring up into the darkness. As exhausted as he was, he found himself unable to settle down and just fall asleep. Uncertainties and fears about the day of the conference kept running through his mind.

It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, however, when he heard the soft sound of his door open and close, and the quick patter of footsteps on the carpet. The mattress dipped and shivered as another person crawled onto it. Soon a solid body was pressed up against Seto's side and a small arm flung over his stomach. No words were exchanged between the two brothers. No words were needed. Grateful for the comfort of another's warmth, Seto exhaled heavily and began to relax. Soon. Soon he would have Katsuya back. He couldn't afford to doubt himself at the moment. Right now he would sleep and tomorrow he would continue perfecting the statement required for the conference. One thing at a time.

'I'll make you understand, Jounouchi, no matter what. I _need_ you to understand. I didn't mean to hurt you…'

-.-.-.-.-.-

To Be Continued…

_**Back to the drawing board: **__A saying indicating that one's effort has failed, and one must start all over again._

(A/N) Holy Smokes, it's been awhile! It's even more embarrassing that you all waited so long and yet... nothing much happens in this chapter except Seto-angsting (Okay, he was so totally out of character here, eep!). -blushes-. Sorry, I suck, I know :-P But the next chapter will be much more exciting, I promise haha. And I won't take half a year to post it either (I hope... Lol, just kidding). Thanks for your reviews, and your patience - grin-._  
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	17. Taking the Bull by the Horns

**Warnings**: shounen-ai (boys kissing boys, etc...); semi-frequent cussing/swearing, mentions of abuse; AU

**Pairings**: Seto/Jou; Honda/Otogi;

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any of its characters and ideas.

**Inescapable You**

Chapter 17: Taking the Bull by the Horns

Life is too short to be lying around depressed when you could be _doing_ something instead and nothing is so hopeless that you can't overcome it eventually. Even if you fall off the horse (break a few bones, get kicked and stomped on by the horse and its friends until you're bloody, bruised and broken, and perhaps crapped on just to add insult to injury), you should just get right back on that damn horse, whip it back into line and keep going.

This was what Katsuya believed. No matter what happened – and he'd been through _a lot_ in his short life – he never stayed down for long. There was always something in him commanding him to get up, to move, to fight through to the end. Even when life became so difficult that it felt like he was drowning in the bitter pain… somehow, maybe through sheer obstinacy, he would find that ever present flicker of strength and hope within him, grab on to it, and let it take him back out into the light.

So it was in this way he finally overcame the feelings of dejection caused recently by both his father and Kaiba Seto. That morning, Katsuya blinked open his eyes after the first good sleep he'd had in awhile and found himself feeling refreshed and clearheaded. It was still quite early, he surmised as he listened to Hiroto's steady, even breaths from the bed beside him. But he didn't feel like lying down any longer. Instead, Katsuya quietly slipped off the futon he'd been using while staying at the Hondas' apartment and trudged to the bathroom to empty his bladder. Afterwards, he splashed some water on his face at the sink and looked up into the mirror, a little surprised to find that not much had changed in his appearance despite all that had happened recently. There was only a little less color in his cheeks and a slightly bruised look about his eyes from lack of sleep. There had been a lot of nightmares and restless nights…

When he returned to the bedroom, he found Hiroto sitting up in bed looking groggily back at him. His hair, lacking its usual gel, was disheveled from its usual perfected shape, giving him a younger, slightly roguish appearance. His questioning, hazel eyes met Katsuya's and for a moment they just gazed at one another silently but with an understanding that would make many a person envious. Then Katsuya felt his lips twitch and saw the reaction mirrored with relief by his friend. Small smiles grew and slowly widened into matching grins that said more than any spoken words could have.

In a sudden rush of energy, Katsuya bounded over to the bed and pounced with a yell. Hiroto was quick to retaliate and it turned into the usual roughhousing they were so fond off. The two teens were quite evenly matched in a fight – Hiroto was a bit bigger and physically stronger, but Katsuya was quick, agile and not easily brought down even with his slighter stature. The bed shook and groaned as the boys grappled with each other and shouted taunts until they were brought to a sudden halt by Hiroto's father shouting through the door for them to 'shut-up! It's quarter-to-six in the friggen morning and decent people are trying to get their sleep before they go off to work!'

The boys froze, panting heavily. Katsuya groaned as he felt the other's knee digging into his back and complained as best he could with his head trapped in an uncomfortable headlock. "Get off! Yer heavy, man!"

Hiroto laughed and let go, rolling away to allow the blond to sit up. The sheets were a tangled mess by this point. Katsuya grumbled and pushed himself up, shifting until he found a comfortable place to sit on the mattress. When he raised his eyes, he found Hiroto watching him with a more sober expression.

"It's good to see your smile again," said Hiroto quietly.

"Yeah," he agreed, "Sorry I worried you."

"Don't be. I know how upset you were by… it all."

Katsuya only nodded and flopped onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. He gripped the bed sheets between his fingers and tried to imagine what the future might bring now that both his father and Seto were out of his life. A twinge of pain at the thought made him realize that it might not be so easy to just put this all behind him. But he had to try. If he couldn't forget Seto, then he at least had to bury the selfish bastard in the very back of his mind where he could not hurt him anymore. Katsuya closed his eyes lightly with a sigh. "I've gotta be stronger, Honda."

"I think you already are," Hiroto replied sincerely. "You've come through a lot and you've survived. I don't know how much stronger someone can get."

The image of hardened, blue eyes like shards of ice taunted him in the darkness behind his eyelids. "Kaiba has more strength than anyone. He doesn't let his emotions get to him." No matter how much I wish he would…

"You think that's what strength is?" The brunet sounded surprised.

Katsuya opened one eye to glance at his friend, catching the skeptical look. "Isn't it? Look at me. I bawl my fucking eyes out whenever someone stomps on my heart, but I bet the last time he shed a tear was before he was adopted! He doesn't let anything faze 'im!"

Hiroto scoffed at this. "That isn't strength, Jou; that's just completely messed up. People like him are fucked up inside. You don't want to be like that. Kaiba's like… like a machine. He just keeps working to climb to the top without caring who he has to step on to get there. And one day he's going to break down and there'll be no one there to fix him. You know he hasn't a single friend, or even someone he can trust aside from his brother. It's just… pathetic, really."

There was a lot of truth in what Hiroto said, and yet it wasn't completely right. The time spent in the young CEO's presence had taught Katsuya that there was more to Seto than he let on. If he had learned anything, it was that Seto was very much a human being. He had nightmares and fears, and could show happiness in his own way (if one looked very, very closely and knew how to see it). He'd been able to comfort Katsuya when he'd needed it, and would give in to small things like sleeping in for an extra half hour in the morning, or going for lunch in the park even when he'd prefer to be working. And he'd shown Katsuya his smile, and had held him and kissed him and said…

'I love you…'

Aw fuck. This was not the way to put it behind him. He had to be strong. Had to forget. If he kept thinking these thoughts, he'd only be hurt more and more. It was time to move on.

"You're right, Hond'. It's pathetic. I don't need an asshole like him in my life, and I don't need my old man either! It's stupid to care about people like them. I gotta quit being so fucking dependent." That's right. He depended way too much on other people. Back in his gang days, he'd had to rely more on himself to survive the streets. Although, even then he'd had Hiroto; but it was just the two of them and no one else. Now, there were just too many others that had the ability to hurt him. "Maybe I should just stop caring about other people," he muttered darkly, half to himself.

"Stop caring? Even about me?" The brunet's tone was difficult to read, but he obviously didn't agree with this suggestion.

"Nah, not you. But…" Like he could ever turn his back on his best friend. That would just be impossible and more painful than anything he could imagine.

"But Yugi, then? You don't want to be there for him anymore after you've been so set on protecting him all these years?"

"Ah, well, no…"

"And what about everyone else? Anzu? Ryou? Otogi? You'd just forget them all, would you?"

"Maybe Otogi…" Katsuya said thoughtfully, before grinning at the fierce glare he received. "Just kidding!" For the most part, anyway. He still wasn't completely warmed up to the one who'd stuck him in a dog suit in the past, but he was learning to.

The blond sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. I won't stop caring, then. Happy?"

"Extremely," replied Hiroto dryly. "You just wouldn't be you if you didn't wear your heart on your sleeve.

"Whatever." It would have been too much effort to change that drastically anyway. Pushing himself up, he swung an arm over Hiroto's shoulders. "But you better be there when I start crying like a baby again over some stupid crap."

"You couldn't chase me off even if you tried." Hiroto grinned, shoving Katsuya over again.

Laughing, Katsuya dug himself further into the bed sheets, finally feeling the chill of the morning. He glanced around for the alarm clock, but it was too far from him to read. "What time's it, anyway?"

"Uh…" The other looked behind him at the clock. "Just after six-thirty."

"Ugh, so early." He curled up further on the bed, wincing at the thought. How the heck had he woken up so damn early by himself? Probably had gotten too used to it living with Seto… Stupid workaholic. But… Katsuya frowned as he realized he'd actually miss hearing Seto's voice try to coax him awake in the mornings. It just wasn't fair. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Good idea," Hiroto agreed, laying on his side and putting his head tiredly on the pillow. Katsuya was curled up at the foot of the bed, by the brunet's feet. "A few more hours wouldn't hurt. But let's do something fun later."

"Yeah, sure." The last few days had been mainly spent in the apartment, Katsuya being too depressed to do much. But he was ready to face the world again. At least, he was fairly sure of that. He wondered, however, if those vulture-like reporters were waiting somewhere to attack him. His last encounter with them had not been fun at all. They had been very loud and insistent with their questions and tape recorders; trying to pry some information about his and Seto's situation. While it could have been a great chance to take a bit of revenge on the CEO, Katsuya was (unfortunately) much too honorable to resort to such low tactics. He wished he was hateful enough to let slip a few secrets that could have helped Seto share the pain he was feeling, but at the same time he knew it wasn't even an option he would consider. Of course, he did take some pleasure in imagining how much more the reporters and public were probably harassing Seto at this moment. The bastard deserved it.

Katsuya scowled a little, then let out an exasperated sigh and tried to relax. He needed to stop thinking about all that. The sooner he put it out of his mind, the sooner things could get back to normal around him. Well, as close to normal as it could be anyway. Instead, he started planning activities they could do later that day and slowly his mind began to drift until finally he found sleep again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He gazed out from his bedroom window at the gardens below, his eyes fixed on the dark water of the koi pond where he and Katsuya had shared their first mutual kiss. Gods, that seemed like ages ago. But even now he could recall the overwhelming rush of emotions when their lips had finally met. It had been wonderful and liberating and so very terrifying, and now all he could wonder was whether or not he would ever get to feel that again.

Wearily, Seto leaned against the windowsill and tried not to let all of the worries about the morning invade his mind. It was impossible not to think about it though. Too many things that could go wrong and the probability that it would work out in his favor was depressingly low. He smirked faintly, pondering where his usual confidence had fled to. That damned mutt was too unpredictable; how could Seto possibly be one hundred percent sure about the results when he hadn't the faintest clue how Katsuya was going to react? In any case, despite how unsettled it left him, he would just have to go through with his plan and hope for the best. Of course, he was not about to leave it entirely up to luck (that was Katsuya's forte, not his), which was why he had already added every precaution he could think of; including enlisting the aid of that shrimp, Yugi. At the very least, if things did not go as planned (god-forbid), nobody could claim he had not tried his hardest to make it otherwise.

But, damn, he hated not being completely secure about the outcome.

Somewhere behind him, a lamp flickered on, its glow chasing some of the darkness from the room. A soft yawn and groan were heard, accompanied by the rustle of bed sheets. And then his brother's sleepy voice softly called out, "Nii-sama? Did you get some sleep?"

Seto's expression relaxed a bit. At least he had one ally who had enough confidence in their plans for an entire army of people. He didn't know what he would have done without Mokuba's encouragement, even if the younger boy had seemed to be going a little overboard with the mothering attitude lately. Not that Seto could really blame him, however. He knew Mokuba was only worried about his big brother's health, since Seto had been frantically working to get everything done with little desire to eat or sleep. But it would soon be over, for better or for worse, and then they could get back to their normal life, whatever that was.

He tore himself from the sparkling pond and turned around, blinking a little as his eyes adjusted to the light. "Yes, a bit. I only got up a quarter of an hour ago," he assured his brother, who was sitting up in Seto's bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and still yawning.

"Good." Mokuba smiled and flopped down onto his back again. "How much longer before we have to get ready to go?"

Seto glanced at the clock on the table. "An hour, still." An hour in which he could have been going over everything for the hundredth time to make sure he hadn't missed anything. His fingers twitched with the desire to pull out his laptop, but he had already promised Mokuba that he would spend the last night away from any computers in order to refresh his mind. The younger boy had insisted that there was nothing more Seto could do and any last minute things for the conference could be handled by Kaiba Corp employees. That was what they were hired for, after all.

"I spoke with Yugi again yesterday evening," Mokuba said, filling in the silence. "Jounouchi finally came out of his slump. He went to the arcade with everyone and Yugi said he was laughing again."

A sudden, clear memory came unbidden to mind of Katsuya freely laughing at some dry remark Seto had made about their math teacher one evening. Light and honest, it was the type of laughter that Seto could never make. At the time, he had been merely irritated by it, maybe out of some sense of envy, but now all he wanted was to listen to it again. Even just once more.

Annoyed, he quickly shook away the feeling and asked, "Any more complaints about the press hounding them?"

"No. None. Most of the reporters were cowed by your announcement that any who were caught near Jou or his friends would be banned from the conference. And the few who were stupid enough to ignore it were easily apprehended by the body guards you sent to watch over him."

"And the guards have remained undetected?"

Mokuba grinned. "Of course. I don't even want to imagine what Jou'd do to you if he knew he was being watched, but I bet there'd be a lot of bloodshed involved."

Seto didn't doubt it, but he had deemed it necessary after the first incident. He did not want anything else to happen to the unsuspecting blond. "He won't find out." He sighed and wandered over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. Less than an hour. He hated waiting. "I think I am going insane," he muttered.

"Nii-sama, you've _always_ been kind of insane." Mokuba snickered.

Throwing a half-hearted scowl over his shoulder, Seto persisted, "More so, then."

"Nah. In my opinion, falling in love means you're actually human."

"Who said anything about 'falling in love'?" Seto snapped.

But Mokuba ignored him. "I think this is the first time you've really shown this level of interest in someone. While I love you for the way you've always worked so hard to ensure that I'd have a good future, I'm very happy now that you are finally being a little selfish for your own sake."

Seto didn't know quite how to respond to that, so he just kept his mouth shut. As always, Mokuba surprised him with his words of wisdom.

"Anyway," Mokuba continued, "I have faith in you. I always have. It'll work out for you and Jounouchi in the end, so please try to relax."

At this point he realized his hands were clasped so tightly in his lap that his knuckles were white. Taking Mokuba's words to heart, he quickly pulled his hands apart and placed them on the mattress at his sides. But he couldn't help but look at the clock again. Half an hour. The clouds outside had turned a brilliant shade of pink and orange as the day began to dawn.

"Mokuba."

"Yeah?"

"What would you say to just leaving right now and taking my jet to escape this mess I've gotten myself into? I will even let you choose the country."

"I would say that you are no longer my brother because I'd have to disown you for being a coward." Mokuba giggled, tossing a pillow at Seto's back. "You're such a kidder!"

With a mental sigh of disappointment, Seto reluctantly let the idea go. He hadn't been completely kidding. But Mokuba was right; that was the coward's way out. And he was definitely not that. "Then remind me again why I'm about to risk my company for an idiotic proletariat who specifically ordered me never to go near him again."

"Do I have to?" Mokuba playfully whined, but at the same time shifted closer to his brother. "I think your fans would die of shock if they ever realized how insecure you can really be."

"Mokuba…" He growled impatiently.

"Oh, alright." The younger boy sighed. "It goes like this: You're in love…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_He was dreaming. In the back of his mind he knew that, and yet at the same time it felt so real and beautiful that he could not imagine living any other life outside of this dream world. He was running through a lush garden, weaving easily through the familiar territory he had come to know so well over the past three years. The garden was his favorite place. It was special to him; full of rich scents, lively sounds and vibrant colors – such a different world from the surrounding hot, dry desert. He came here almost every day to explore or relax, or even to seek some respite from the constant demands of the people who owned him. Now as he pushed past the drooping leaves of a Jujube, he did not stop to check for ripened fruit as he normally did, too busy seeking out a certain person he knew who shared his love for wandering the garden. A moment later, he spotted him standing under a large pomegranate tree, face raised to look up at the leafy canopy above. He paused for a minute to secretly watch the man he'd been looking for. The tall, priest dressed all in blue and gold and white, appeared so majestic and otherworldly as he stood with the dappled sunlight playing across his sharp features. And then, somehow sensing he was not alone, the man's eyes flickered in his direction – eyes that sparkled like the glittering sea and reminded him of the icy-cold mountain streams of a home that he had not seen since he was brought to this desert palace where the heat and dust constantly choked his throat and stung his skin. He knew that if it were not for this proud man with the soul-shattering, azure eyes, he would have dried up in this place long ago until he were nothing but an empty husk to be blown away by the scorching wind. _

_His priest finally turned to him with an amused smile. "You found me, my love. Were you searching for long?"_

_Like every day they were together, he thought his heart would burst with the happiness an__d love that swelled within it. He took a step forward, reaching to take the hand of the person who owned his heart and soul. "I would have searched all my life for you."_

Gradually the garden and the two lovers faded away to blackness. As always, Katsuya awoke from the dream with a lingering ache in his chest and some deep sense of sorrow and loneliness. He did not open his eyes right away. This was not the first time he'd had such a dream; in fact, as of late he'd been having similar ones fairly frequently. A palace in the desert; a blue-eyed priest who reminded him all too much of a certain CEO he'd been trying hard to forget about. He hated them especially for the way they left him missing Seto's sharp gaze and warm touch.

He wasn't sure how long he lay there pondering the dream and his own situation before some noise intruded upon his thoughts and made him aware that he wasn't the only one awake. Last night, Yugi had invited Katsuya, Hiroto and Anzu to sleep over at his house, and of course everyone had agreed. They had spent the evening dueling, playing board games, and eating junk food. Now, Katsuya could hear the others whispering nearby, and it sounded like they were arguing. Strange. They were obviously trying not to wake him, so it was difficult to make out everything they were whispering, but a bit of the argument reached him whenever one of his friends got too excited and raised their voice a little.

"…What were you thinking?!" Hiroto sounded very agitated. There was a reply, but it was too low to understand. Then Hiroto again: "No! That asshole's done enough to him! I won't let him…"

Katsuya frowned. Somehow, he had the feeling that he was the subject of their disagreement, and Hiroto was in protective mode again, which meant they must also be talking about either his father or Seto. Well, whatever was going on, he had the right to be involved. Opening his eyes, he blinked against the light and quietly began to sit up. Hiroto, Anzu and Yugi were sitting nearby, but had not yet noticed Katsuya watching them. From what he could see, it was mainly Yugi and Hiroto who were arguing while the girl looked on with worried indecisiveness.

Opening his mouth, he was about to butt in and demand an explanation, when movement from the corner of his eye turned his attention to the TV instead. It had been switched on to the news channel where currently a female reporter was speaking. The volume was fairly low, but Katsuya's sharp ears caught mention of a certain name and suddenly he couldn't focus on anything else.

_"We are now going to go to Kaiba Corporation for a live conference where the world-renowned creator of the holographic duel disk system, Kaiba Seto, will comment on the rumors currently being spread about his alleged relationship with another male top duelist. Hanako, over to you."_

He didn't know when he'd moved, but suddenly he was kneeling, frozen, directly in front of the TV screen. Hardly daring to even breathe, Katsuya stared with wide eyes as the scene changed to a crowded conference room. Behind the platform, in front of which a pack of eager reporters sat waiting, was the giant, silver KC logo that he knew all too well. This was the first he had heard of the press conference. Why hadn't anyone thought to mention it to him? Of course, he had been stubbornly avoiding any mention of Seto or Kaiba Corp, but still…

"Ah! Jou-kun, you're awake?"

Katsuya barely heard his friends as they hovered around him. On the TV, the reporters had gone silent as the young CEO himself strode confidently across the platform, followed by his brother and a few other men in business suits. This couldn't be real. Seto could not be going up there right now to discuss their disastrous, so-called relationship! Already, Katsuya could feel the humiliation rising as he imagined what Seto would say about him.

'_That third-rate loser __threw himself at me. Just some maniac fanboy who was desperate for a taste of the greatness he, himself, could never obtain.'_

Seto would deny there was ever anything between them. Honestly, Katsuya could not blame him. After all, Seto had to look out for Mokuba and his company. It still hurt, though. Inside, Katsuya could feel his heart breaking into little pieces as he watched in resigned horror while Seto formally greeted the press. The tall CEO appeared as self-assured and commanding as ever. His smirk never wavered and his piercing gaze did not miss a single person. And yet… when the camera zoomed in close to Seto's face, Katsuya was a bit startled to notice little thin lines on his forehead that he was sure had never been there before, and slight shadows under those expressionless eyes that reminded Katsuya of his own restless nights. But no one else commented on it, and so Katsuya decided he was only imagining it.

Then, finally, Seto broached the subject that everyone had been waiting in so much anticipation for.

_"As you are all aware, last Friday, a questionable photo was released for the public to view; in direct violation of my privacy, I might add. I would first like to state that the photographer has been severely dealt with and is guaranteed never to find work in the news business again. Now, on to what we are all here for. The photo."_

With a wince, Katsuya realized this was it. After this moment, there'd be no going back to how things were between Seto and him, either before or after they were leashed together. Somehow, deep down, there had still been a spark of hope that Seto would come looking for him again to apologize, but that hope was about to be snuffed for good. Katsuya knew he would never be able to forgive Seto for doing this to him – to them.

_"I will not deny the photo is authentic. It was not doctored in any way."_

This information caused a bit of a stir. Some people were probably expecting him to claim the photo was entirely fake. Sharp blue eyes swept across the room, not missing a single face.

_"I know what you are all waiting for. Verification. I know of every rumor that has been spread; every speculation; everything that you people have made of that photo. Now you are all here this morning to hear what I have to say about it – some out of mere curiosity, perhaps, but the majority to see how this will affect Kaiba Corporation and my standing as a top duelist."_

"Come on, get to the fucking point," Katsuya muttered tensely, hating how his torture was being prolonged.

And then without warning, Seto's smirk vanished and he glared out over the crowed with a severe expression. _"But I am not here today for your benefit. You may listen and do what you may with what you hear; however, my words are meant for one person alone: the other man in the photo."_

Seto turned his head slightly and all of a sudden Katsuya found himself forgetting how to breathe as those unforgettable sapphire eyes gazed directly at the camera and appeared to see straight through it to where Katsuya was sitting in Yugi's living room. It didn't seem possible that Seto could know which news station they were watching, and yet when he spoke again, his eyes did not waver from that spot. Katsuya could feel the intensity of that stare even through the television, and it sent a shiver up his spine. With his heart beating a mile a minute, Katsuya tried to focus on what the CEO was saying.

_"I have always been ruthless as a businessman. I am well aware of what people call me when they think I am not listening. Coldhearted. Cruel. Frigid. But it is all trivial. As CEO of such a large, demanding corporation, I have no option but to be unyielding. If I show the barest hint of a flaw, there are a thousand bloodthirsty corporate sharks just waiting to tear me to pieces. It is impossible to change that. But recently I have come to realize that that does not have to be all there is. A certain person, who somehow managed to wriggle his way in to my home and heart in spite of everything, has taught me that there can be more to life than duels and business. And he showed me what it is like to care for someone beyond my family and my corporation."_

"Not me. He's not talking about me," Katsuya whispered shakily, unable to believe what Seto was doing. He felt lightheaded and wondered if he was still dreaming.

"Yes, he is." At some point Yugi had moved to his side. Now he wrapped his arms around Katsuya's side and said quietly, "He's looking at you, he's speaking to you. Just listen to him, Jou-kun."

_"But I hurt him. I felt he was a weakness to me, so of course it was only logical that I needed to be rid of him."_

Oh god. It hurt to hear that. Katsuya hugged himself and leaned further against Yugi as he unwillingly recalled the night the cursed leash had let them go. 'I was just a weakness he needed to be rid of. I see… But it was so cruel of him.' He wanted to reach out and slam the power button before Seto could say anything else to remind him of the pain, but he couldn't. He was frozen and couldn't look away from Seto's eyes.

_"I am now going to make an impossibly difficult admission. Here it goes: I was wrong.'_

"Wrong? Huh?" Was Seto apologizing? On television? What in the world was going on?

_"I was wrong. I still need you."_

Katsuya slowly began to shake. Why? Why?

_"I know. I am being selfish again. I don't care, though. I want you back in my arms where I can hold you and protect you. I am standing here, in front of all these people, to tell you that I will do anything if only you will forgive me and speak to me again."_

"Why?" Katsuya whimpered. He was just a weakness. A proletariat. A nobody. What use was he to Seto? And yet, he felt a warmth in his chest at Seto's words. The flicker of hope was growing, becoming stronger, and he almost dared to believe that Seto was telling the truth.

_"The night I screwed up everything, those words that I said to you before the phone call from Mokuba, I meant them. I meant them with all my heart. I will say them again to you, as many times as you need me to. I would like to see you again. Meet me by our koi pond. I will wait there until you show up. I'll be there, I promise. That is all." _ Seto nodded his head to the camera, and then turned and walked off the stage without another word to the stunned audience.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

­

Once around the corner and out of sight where nobody could see the mask of indifference slip, Seto leaned back against a wall and closed his eyes. He focused on trying to get his racing heartbeat back to normal. It felt strange to be so shook up to the point he was actually trembling. To go up, knowing most of Japan was watching, including his competition, and spill his heart to Katsuya like that had taken more courage than he'd thought it would. Seto only hoped that Yugi had been successful in getting Katsuya to watch the correct news channel, otherwise everything he said would have been a waste.

Taking a deep breath, he held it in for a moment before exhaling slowly, feeling himself begin to calm down. Nothing else he could do. The ball was in Katsuya's court and whether the unpredictable puppy would forgive him or not was anyone's guess. Hearing footsteps approach, Seto opened his eyes and stepped away from the wall, straightening his coat as he turned down the hall. Time to head over to the pond in his gardens and wait to see if Katsuya would come. Somehow, he had the feeling it was going to be a long wait.

"He's lying! He's gotta be. I'm not fallin' for his stupid lines again! He already made a fool of me once an' I won't let him do it again, damn it!" Katsuya fumed, chucking a pillow at the couch.

"But, Jou-kun! Why would he lie now?" Yugi argued, placing himself in front of the growling blond. "I mean, he went on National TV to declare his love to you! What would he have to gain by lying about it?"

"Humiliating Jou, for starters," said Hiroto, coming to stand beside the blond. "And I don't know about you, but I didn't hear anything about _love_ coming out of his mouth."

Katsuya was nodding his head while squeezing another pillow tightly in his fists. "Yeah, he's never hesitated to humiliate me before! There's no way I can trust him now! I can't!"

"Do you know what he risked by saying what he did in front of the media?! How could you doubt him after what he just did? Jou-kun, just think about it!" Yugi was glaring up at his best friend fiercely, fists clenched and his face turning red with frustration.

Anzu just sighed wearily as she watched the boys bicker from her seat on the armchair. It was painful to see them like this, but she knew better than to butt in until they'd calmed down at least a little. They wouldn't listen, otherwise. Of course, she was with Yugi as far as her opinion about Seto's intentions went. Kaiba Seto was not the sort of man to risk his entire future, not to mention Mokuba's, merely to degrade Katsuya some more. If he was willing to tell the world that he _needed_ another person, then it must be pure truth. But then again, she could see Katsuya's side of things as well. Over the years she'd come to understand the extent of the blond's trust issues, and after what Seto had done, she couldn't blame Katsuya for being suspicious now.

Katsuya had just sat down on the couch, his arms crossed, and his expression stubborn. He shouted, "No! I'm not gonna go. The bastard can rot, for all I care!"

"Argh! You're impossible!" Yugi shouted back. But Anzu could tell he was at a loss as to how to convince his friend to go meet with Seto. Finally, his face fell and he pouted somewhat resignedly. "Fine. I'm going to get our breakfast. Maybe once you've eaten you'll be able think more clearly and will change your mind." He stomped out of the living room, followed only by Katsuya's glare.

Katsuya didn't change his mind, however. They had breakfast, played Duel Monsters, some Wii games, and then dueled some more. The tension between the boys was palpable, and they played the card game almost silently for once. Even Anzu couldn't get them to cheer up at all. To make matters worse, the sky outside, which had been clear that morning, had turned dark with thick, black storm clouds. By noon, the rain was pouring down by the bucketful, accompanied by the occasional rumble of thunder. Listening to the pounding of the rain on the roof, Anzu wondered if Seto was still waiting where he'd asked Katsuya to meet him. Nobody else would stay out in this weather, but it _was_ Kaiba Seto, one of the most willful men on the planet. The thought of the prideful duelist sitting alone, wet and cold somewhere, waiting for someone who didn't even seem likely to show up, was kind of sad. She leant her chin on her arms, pretending to watch the current duel between Yugi and Hiroto, but secretly keeping an eye on Katsuya who seemed to be following the game only halfheartedly, as if his mind were somewhere else and it didn't take a genius to guess where. Every few minutes, he'd glance out the window with a small, worried grimace. It was not difficult to guess he was thinking the same about Seto out in the rain.

Katsuya's concerned, Anzu thought with some amusement while watching his profile through her eyelashes. He would not be this worried if he didn't still have some feelings for Kaiba Seto. No matter how tough Katsuya tried to act, he was not the type of person who could cut someone off from his heart so easily. And now, he was only hurting himself more by denying his desire to go see Seto.

Anzu mentally rolled her eyes. Boys were so stupid when it came to matters of the heart. They had too much pride. She looked at the clock just as it turned one o'clock. It had been about six hours since Seto had left the conference. Six hours… A long time to wait. Unable to stand everyone's inaction any longer, she placed her hands on the table and pushed herself up. Feeling determined, she wrapped her hand around Hiroto's arm and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "I need to talk to you in privacy, please."

Hiroto was surprised, but he nodded silently and followed her out of the room, leaving Yugi and Katsuya to continue the game. Once in the kitchen, he pulled away from Anzu's grip and turned to face her. "What do you want to talk about?" He looked like he already knew the answer, though.

"Jounouchi needs to see Kaiba," she began, not one to beat about the bush. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed how he keeps looking out the window. And he's barely said two words since this morning. If he doesn't go to meet Kaiba, he's just going to keep wondering and hurting. I know you don't trust Kaiba, either, but…"

"No, you're right." Hiroto sighed and leaned back against the kitchen counter, arms folded over his chest. He looked down at the floor, apparently thinking the matter over. "I hate to admit it, but he does seem unable to let that ass go. I don't understand it, after all Kaiba's done, but I guess Jou sees something in him that I don't."

Anzu nodded. "Exactly. But he's too stubborn to go to Kaiba's place on his own now."

"So you want me to talk to him, right?" Hiroto guessed wryly.

"Well, out of all his friends, you're the one he's most likely to listen to. It's quite obvious that he cares a lot about you what you think." Anzu smiled. She had always loved witnessing the exceptionally steadfast friendship between Hiroto and Katsuya. Their bond made her think of the bond between Yugi and Atemu; the kind that would last through the ages without weakening.

Hiroto exhaled noisily and scrubbed a hand though his gelled hair. "Okay, okay. But only 'cause I can't stand to see him so troubled. I doubt Kaiba'll still be out there, though."

"But Jounouchi won't know for sure until he goes to see for himself, will he?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rain still had not let up. Water was streaming down the panes of glass and forming puddles on the window sill. Katsuya could not stop himself from looking out at the grey sky every few minutes, thinking about how miserable it would be to be outside right now. Of course, these thoughts had nothing to do with Seto. That guy had most likely left to take shelter in his extravagant mansion at the first sign of bad weather – if he'd kept his word and had been waiting at the spot by the pond in the first place, which Katsuya couldn't help but doubt.

"Jou-kun? It's your move."

"Eh?" Katsuya turned his head to Yugi, and then blinked in realization. "Oh, right. Sorry." He drew a card, and placed it down without thinking. For a moment he stared down at it, wondering when he'd added it to his deck, before remembering that he was using Hiroto's until the brunet returned to the game. "Um, I play Thunder Kid in defense mode." The poor thing didn't stand a chance against Gaia the Fierce Knight, the monster currently out on Yugi's side of the field.

A rumble of distant thunder distracted him again, and unconsciously he found eyes drawn to the window for what seemed the hundredth time that day. He couldn't help it. For some reason, a gnawing sense of guilt kept growing stronger. But Seto would not still be out there. He was too self-important, not to mention impatient, to sit out in the rain waiting for a nobody mutt like Katsuya. The thought was almost laughable. Nevertheless, Katsuya chewed on his lower lip, wishing he really could laugh right now. Even though he was ninety-nine percent positive that Seto was safe and dry, probably drinking hot coffee and working away in his office as usual, it was the one percent uncertainty that bugged Katsuya the most. After all, while the workaholic CEO normally loved routine, he could also be completely unpredictable when it was least expected.

Again, Yugi's voice interrupted his brooding. "You're thinking about Kaiba, aren't you?"

"What? I'm not!" Katsuya quickly denied. "I… I just… uh, hate the rain, s'all."

The shorter duelist shook his head and said reprovingly, "Or maybe you're feeling bad about standing him up."

Katsuya snorted and glared at the cards in his hand. "Like I care. I'm over him. 'Sides, he deserves it."

"I don't understand why you can't at least go talk to him. Just hear him out."

"No, I… I can't." I'm too much of a coward, he added in his mind. I'm scared he won't be there. I'm terrified he's just setting me up to laugh in my face. But he could not say any of that out loud.

Hiroto and Anzu came back into the room right then, saving Katsuya from listening to any more of Yugi's guilt trip for the moment. But instead of taking back his place at the table, Hiroto went to stand behind Katsuya. He gripped Katsuya's shoulders and pulled the bemused teen up out of the chair.

"H-hey! Hond', what…?" His protests were quickly cut off when he caught sight of Hiroto's serious expression.

"Get your coat on, Jou. Go meet Kaiba."

"But… but, he won't even be there!" Katsuya voiced his fear, knowing Hiroto would recognize it and understand.

Hiroto smiled a little, keeping their gazes locked. He said, "Maybe. But unless you go there and check for yourself, you'll always wonder about the slight possibility that he really did keep his promise to be there, waiting for you. I know you too well. It'll hang over your head and you'll let the guilt eat at you until the day you die. So do both of us a favor and just go."

"And if he's not there…?" Katsuya asked in a whisper.

"Then at least you know for certain that it's over and you can let him go. But, if he is there…"

If he is there…? Katsuya swallowed hard, not wanting to let himself give in to hope yet. Slowly, he nodded. "Okay. Okay, I'll go. But, wait here for me, 'kay? I might need you." Hiroto was right that he'd be able to let go once he realized that Seto truly was out of reach forever, but that didn't mean it wouldn't still hurt for a while yet.

Quickly, not letting himself stop to think it over anymore, Katsuya grabbed his coat, runners and an umbrella and shot out the door. He ran down the street as fast as he could go. The pounding of his shoes on the pavement was dampened by the rain, and within minutes the bottom of his jeans became soaked from all the puddles he splashed through. The umbrella only kept his head dry, but he ignored the cold rain water seeping through his clothes. His mind was focused only on reaching the Kaiba property. Once, he slipped on some mud and almost found himself on the ground, but managed to catch his balance just in time. As he skidded around the last corner and passed through the open iron gate, he didn't stop to wonder why no security guard barred his way.

Finally. Finally. He paused at the top of the hill that led down the small koi pond. The blood was pounding in his head and he was gasping loudly for air, but still he managed to look wildly down at the place where Seto had asked to meet him. Where he'd promised he'd be waiting. At first, the area appeared deserted. Able to breathe more easily now, Katsuya stared hard at the pond which was in continuous motion from the ripples caused by the rain. Nobody there. But, before he could feel the bitter stab of disappointment, he noticed something white peeping through the drooping branches of an oak tree, and suddenly he remembered the bench where he and Seto had rested that day when they had come here for the first time.

Katsuya's heart began to speed up, and at the same time his mind began to protest that it couldn't possibly be Kaiba Seto down there. It was too wet and cold; surely the idiot would have gone inside the house a long time ago. It's not him, it's not… Katsuya's right foot lifted and took him a step forward. He won't be there. It's something else. Another step. And all of a sudden he was slipping and sliding down the wet, grassy slope, desperate to prove his doubts wrong.

And then he was in front of the bench, only a foot away, staring down in disbelief at the slim brunet sitting primly on the wet bench under a large, white umbrella. Shocked blue eyes came up to meet his own, and the two men looked at each other in utter silence. Seto. It was really him. He was still in the same outfit that he'd worn that morning to the conference – black leather pants, black turtleneck, and white trench coat – but now he appeared somewhat less sure of himself with damp bangs hanging in his face and his nose slightly red from the cold.

"Oh," Katsuya finally managed to squeak. He cleared his throat a little, and tried again. "Y-you're here."

Seto, too, seemed to have a little trouble getting his voice to work. When he did speak, he sounded a bit hoarse. "So are you. It took you long enough."

Katsuya rubbed the back of his head, feeling a blush beginning to heat his cheeks. "Ah, well, yanno…"

"You didn't think I'd wait."

"Er, no… not really," he mumbled. "But… but I'm glad you did."

Seto's lips twitched a little at that, before he sighed quietly. "I want very much to jump up and take you into my arms to prove to you how much I have missed you, but I'm afraid that since I grew bored of pacing three hours ago I have been sitting here without moving, and so my legs have lost pretty much all feeling."

'He waited for me in the pouring rain for over six hours.' Katsuya's hands trembled as it suddenly hit him how long Seto had been out here for. "I can't fucking believe you! I… I thought… I mean, you're the one who walked out on _me_! I should hate you for that. I… I really should. But then you go an' pull something like this! You're a complete bastard, ya know."

Although Seto's expression did not change, Katsuya was taken aback by the amount of emotion clouding the other's eyes. Somehow during the time they'd spent so close together, Katsuya had become more adept at reading his rival duelist's face and actions, and now he could see a definite hint of sorrow, guilt and pain lurking in those sapphire depths. It made it even more difficult still to stay hurt and angry. He clenched his fists, frustrated by his own irresolution.

"I am so sorry, Jounouchi." The words were oddly soft and un-Seto-like and went straight to Katsuya's heart, worming their way deep inside to relieve the constant ache of betrayal and loneliness.

"Ass," he muttered, but at the same time tossed aside his umbrella and took a step forward to fall against Seto, hugging the taller man tightly. Burying his face against Seto's neck and catching his familiar, spicy scent, Katsuya felt suddenly as though he'd just come home. Home? Was this what 'home' felt like? So safe and warm – a place he never wanted to leave.

Seto shifted and pulled Katsuya fully onto his lap, putting his free arm around the blond's back in a firm, much needed hug. Feeling it, Katsuya sniffed and asked against Seto's chilled skin, "Did you really?"

"Really what?"

"Miss me."

He felt Seto's nose and lips against the top of his head as the brunet answered quietly, "Yes. Painfully so. I had no idea it would hurt so much to lose you. Can you ever forgive me?"

Forgive? Katsuya bit his lip, knowing he'd forgiven the idiot the moment he'd laid eyes on him here. He was not going to let Seto off the hook that easily, though. "I thought… I was just a weakness."

"Not you," Seto explained, tightening his hold around Katsuya, "Never you. It was my feelings for you that I thought made me weak. But… I know now that that's not how it is. You make me stronger, Jounouchi. I…" He trailed off, but Katsuya thought he understood.

Leaning back a little, Katsuya looked into Seto's eyes and said sternly, "I'm still mad that you left me so easily after everything you said."

"I know." Seto closed his eyes briefly, a look of shame breaking through the usual stony expression.

"You… you said you loved me."

"Yes."

Katsuya gulped, but refused to break eye contact. He needed to know, before anything else. "Did you mean it?"

"Yes. I did." Surprisingly there had been no hesitation when Katsuya had been half expecting for Seto to stall.

There was a momentary pause between them while Katsuya tried to decide what to do next. He felt as though he should not give in so easily, but at the same time he was unwilling to let go of Seto again. Sighing a bit in confusion, Katsuya raised a hand and brushed aside Seto's bangs before tracing his fingers down one soft cheek. He couldn't help but admire Seto's perfectly smooth skin. "I can't say the same back, yet. I'm sorry." He did love Seto. He was sure of it more than ever now, but actually saying the words out loud at this point felt impossibly difficult.

"I understand. I will wait patiently until you can."

Katsuya's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You got mad, last time." He clearly remembered the other's reproachful expression the first time Katsuya admitted that he could not verbally return Seto's feelings.

"I wasn't thinking clearly, then." Seto frowned, clearly upset with himself, which caused Katsuya to smile a little. It seemed that Seto was earnest. Maybe there was hope for them after all.

Bringing his face closer to Seto's, Katsuya whispered, "Alright. I'll forgive you, this time. But I need you to promise me something."

"Anything." Seto growled, his eyes suddenly becoming more alive than they had seemed a moment ago.

"Well, obviously we're gonna fight again. Hell, probably every week or more. I'm sure we'll throw insults an' try to hurt each other, maybe throw a few punches or whatever; however, no matter how bad it gets or how angry I make you, you gotta promise you won't turn your back and leave me behind again. I can stand anything but that."

Seto nodded, his expression almost gentle as he listened to Katsuya's request in all seriousness. "You have my word," he said, "I'll never leave you behind. In return, will you allow me to make you a part of my family?"

"Your family?" Katsuya echoed uncertainly. "You mean, live with you? But what about Mokuba? And the law… I'm not eighteen until January."

"Mokuba will be more than happy to have you stay with us, believe me." Katsuya wasn't quite sure how to read Seto's wry smirk, but the brunet then continued, "And don't worry about the law. My lawyers are the best. They can easily keep the legal system tied up in knots until your birthday. In the worst case scenario, I'll have them agree to let you live at Yugi's under the care of his grandfather until you turn eighteen."

"Oh. I see… I… er…" His father had left. His apartment was no longer his to live in. Of course, he could choose to go live with Yugi now, but… Looking into those icy blue depths that he'd missed so much, Katsuya realized that he wouldn't be happy being away from Seto for so long again. Maybe he was just setting himself up for another heartbreak, but for some reason he couldn't make himself care right now. "O-okay."

"Okay?" Seto raised an eyebrow.

Katsuya's face broke into a grin at the other's perturbed look. Despite the frigid air around him, he felt the warmth of happiness filling him up inside as he clarified, "Okay! I'll stay with you!"

Before he could say anything more, Seto smirked and tugged him into a soft, yet demanding kiss. With a sigh of contentment, Katsuya allowed his eyes to fall shut as he felt the other's familiar lips against his own. This was another thing he'd genuinely missed. Whenever they kissed, everything seemed right with the world, as though all of their problems were inconsequential. Slowly the kiss deepened and became more urgent and needy. Tongues met, teeth clashed, and small moans and sighs of desire filled the damp air. Pressed flush against the other's lean body, Katsuya allowed his mouth to be almost devoured entirely. He welcomed the heat of Seto's body more than anything. How had he ever dared to think that he could live without this? Gods… a whimper escaped as Seto took Katsuya's lower lip between his teeth and nipped and sucked on it until Katsuya felt himself shivering with pleasure.

When they parted finally, both flushed and panting, they took a moment to stare heatedly into each other's eyes. Seto smirked, although it seemed different somehow from his usual mocking ways, and whispered possessively, "My puppy."

Katsuya snorted at the nickname and whispered back in some amusement, "My moneybags."

The other's eyebrows came together in a small scowl. "I hate that. Call me 'Seto'"

"Really?" He blinked at the unexpected request. It had never even entered his mind to call Seto by his first name. Somehow, it seemed so… intimate. This was his new family, though… He closed his eyes in some embarrassment. "Um, alright… Seto."

Seto smiled this time. "That's better."

Katsuya did not offer his own first name to be used. The people who called him 'Katsuya' fell on the two extreme ends of the spectrum – they either completely despised him, like his mother and father, or they held a special, unconditional and totally unbreakable love for him that went beyond just 'friends' or 'lovers'. So far, only Shizuka could be placed in that category in his opinion. Perhaps someday he would be able to ask Seto to use 'Katsuya', but for now 'Jounouchi' or 'Jou' or even, once in awhile, 'puppy' would be fine.

"Er, can I ask ya something?" Leaning forward against the brunet's chest again, Katsuya rested his head on the other's shoulder.

"You just did. But I'll let you ask another."

"Jerk. Anyway, aren't ya worried about what you said at the press conference? Is your company going to be in danger 'cause of it?" It was a worrying thought. Katsuya knew he'd feel extremely guilty if anything happened to Kaiba Corp or Mokuba.

To his amazement, however, Seto only chuckled. Combing his fingers through Katsuya's hair, Seto replied, "Don't worry about that. I have a feeling sales are about to hit an all time high."

"Huh?" Katsuya frowned in puzzlement. "I don't get it. I thought…"

"Hm, to put it simply, the majority of Kaiba Corp products are used by children and teenagers under twenty years of age, who depend almost exclusively on their parents for cash to make their purchases. In the typical Japanese family, it is normally the wife who controls the family's finances. So it is the mother whom decides whether or not she will give money to her child to buy something he or she desires. A woman… well, you have a sister. What does she like to read?"

Katsuya frowned, still confused, but answered, "Uh, the usual girly stuff, I guess. Shoujo manga, romance novels, things like that."

"And for movie preference, I suppose she enjoys 'chic flicks' as well?"

"Yeah…?"

"The 'usual girly stuff,' as you put it, seems to have a powerful effect on the hearts of most women. As for my speech at the press conference… well, I believe that may have a lot of similarities to many of those shoujo manga and novels: The hard-hearted business man finally admitting how much he needs back the person who managed to break through his icy exterior. Quite romantic, don't you think? Those women will be falling all over themselves to support me now." Seto snickered again.

Cocky bastard, Katsuya amended silently. "I kinda feel used…" He pouted, making sure to angle his face in such a way that Seto could not miss it.

"Don't," said Seto calmly. "Everything I said was the truth. I was being honest… I do need you. I want you and I am lonely without you."

"Sweet talker," he mumbled jokingly, but he then pressed his lips against Seto's jaw to show how much those words really did mean to him. "Thank you."

They sank into a second kiss, only this time it remained deep and slow. Placing his hands on the other's chest, Katsuya enjoyed the feeling of Seto's heartbeat beneath his palm. This combined with the sound of the rain tapping softly against the umbrella that sheltered them made him feel more at peace with himself than he'd ever felt before and he secretly wished they could stay here like this forever. It was like being in their own little world where nothing bad could intrude. But, knowing they would have to go back and face reality again soon, Katsuya concentrated on committing to memory everything about this moment: the sensation of Seto's tongue and lips entwining with his own; Seto's long, slim fingers gripping his hip possessively; the way their breaths mingled so that they were sharing the same air… Everything. He whimpered unconsciously, and then shivered, which Seto must have felt because he slowly broke their kiss.

"You're cold." A few frown lines appeared between his thin eyebrows.

Katsuya blinked, trying to focus his mind again. He laughed and shook his head at the brunet. "Dumbass. You've been out here since this morning. You must be frozen!"

Smirking now, Seto shrugged. "My coat is fairly warm. But you may have to help me up off this bench."

It took them another few minutes to finally separate, realizing they'd probably get sick if they stayed out much longer. Seto had not been joking about needing help to stand up. Of course, Katsuya spent the next ten minutes alternating between laughing at Seto's pained expressions and curses, and trying to keep the poor brunet, who was not nearly as amused by his predicament, on his feet while his legs began to get some feeling back. Finally they stood together under the same umbrella, facing each other.

"Jounouchi?"

"Yeah, Kai… Seto?" Katsuya asked, wondering if he'd ever get used to saying that name.

Seto held out his hand without breaking eye contact. "Let's go home."

At that, Katsuya smiled so wide he thought his face would break.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The End - Owari!

**Take**** the bull by the horns:** _Take the initiative in confronting a difficult position; face a difficulty and grapple with it without avoiding it._

(A/N) So yeah, that's basically it! I hope you enjoyed reading this fic (which took me an insanely long time to finish for some reason sorry). I may still do an epilogue if I get around to it... since I know some people were expecting lemon haha. We'll see!  
Anyway, thank you so much for all the reviews and encouragement! I really would have never finished this thing without them!  
Ja ne!


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